


One Night To Change it All

by Aquaria



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Bombs, Bruce is kinda badass, City in Chaos, Friends to Enemies, Hostage Situation, Jeremiah is still kinda sane, Kidnapping, Multi, Past Friendship between Jerome and Bruce, Sarah Essen in alive, Sexual Tension, Twisted Games, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-08-07 21:47:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 106,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16416569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquaria/pseuds/Aquaria
Summary: One night sealed it all. Young Bruce met Jerome and Jeremiah at the circus and become friends with them. However, Jerome’s madness soon make them part…Until that night at the Gala, where Jerome ends up kidnapping Bruce for himself instead of obeying Theo Galavan.





	1. Introducing...

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I started updating on my other Account on FFnet, I decided to post it here too.

**Present Day**

In the Wayne's manor, Bruce was studying. He had a lot of homework and though he knew he had to finish those, he secretely hoped Selina would suddenly visit him. That's why he was in the living room with the window slightly open though it was cold outside. He remembered the kiss they shared, his first kiss… It was definitely something!

He was thinking about it when he heard the door bell ringing. He was cautious when he opened the door, he knew too well now that stranger meant danger. He saw a delivery man standing there, nothing seemed out of place.

“Hi?”

“Hi, I have a package for Bruce Wayne.”

“Okay…”

He signed the register for it, the man thanked him and left while he was closing the door. Who could have sent a package? Was it something dangerous? He didn't hear anything that could make him think there was a bomb inside. He went back in the living room, opened it carefully and dropped it to the ground once he saw what was inside. He put his hand over his mouth to hold back a grunt as he saw that.

A handful of severed fingers were at his feet, still bloody and fresh.

It wasn't the first time he would see something gruesome, but still...He had to call the cops, immediately, he hoped Gordon would come. As he was grabbing the phone, Alfred came in.

“Did I hear the door...”

His butler stopped mid-sentence when he saw the fingers on the ground, he looked at Bruce's pale face, and took the phone away from him.

“I'm gonna give that call.”

The teenager just nodded and looked once again at the package. Bruce had a feeling on who sent this. But he was in Arkham, wasn’t he? They heard a soft noise coming from the window and they both saw Selina enter. Bruce felt relieved to see her.

“It's you...”

“Yeah, what's wrong? You look like you're about to faint.”

He looked toward the fingers on the ground and Selina made a disgusted and shocked face. She had also seen horrible things before, but this was so out of place that she couldn’t help but feel shocked.

“What the hell?!”

“Someone sent me that. We called the cops.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“No...Well, I think it could be Jerome...”

“Your crazy friend? The one who killed his mother?”

He just nodded, almost in a trance-like state. Gordon and Bullock didn't take long to be there; they didn’t even wonder why Selina was here.

“Severed fingers…Now we know where those went,” Bullock declared.

“What do you mean?” Asked Alfred.

“Well…Recently some inmate from Arkham escaped. This morning, they murdered several people by throwing them off a building. We noticed some of their fingers had been cut off.”

“Who are they? Is…Jerome Valeska one of them?”

Bruce’s question greatly surprised both Bullock and Gordon. The Maniaxs identities hadn’t been revealed to the press yet!

“Yes. How do you know that?”

“Jerome was…We used to be friends,” Bruce explained. “And he is the only one who could send something like that to me.”

**O o O**

**Past**

The circus was in town; though Bruce wasn’t really fond of those, Alfred suggested they could go. Selina Kyle had left the manor and it was obvious Bruce missed her. Though Alfred wasn’t really fond of her, he had to admit she had helped his boy lately; he had been a kid again with her. Now that she was gone, Bruce wouldn’t smile much; he was too serious, thinking only about investigating his parent’s death and training. He was only eleven and Alfred knew he had to shake him out of that. He thought maybe doing something fun and a bit unusual would cheer him up.

“This seems like a big circus, I heard some numbers are astounding,” Alfred told the boy while they were taking their seats.

“I didn’t know you liked circus that much.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan, but it can be entertaining.”

They stopped talking as it started. The magician wasn’t really Bruce’s thing, but Alfred noticed that he enjoyed the acrobats a bit more. He was fascinated by the snakes when a woman danced with those and got really hooked up on the knife-throwing number. In the end, he was happy to see Bruce applaud in genuine glee.

When they went out, they strolled a bit to look at the place, until Bruce spotted something interesting. At the Snake dancer’s caravan was a red-haired boy with a snake in his hands. Bruce couldn’t help but be fascinated. He advanced toward the teenager without even thinking about it. He was so at ease with the animal it was almost scary but very cool too. He found himself closer to the redhead who took notice and looked at him.

“Hi?”

“Hi. It’s…What kind of snake is it?”

“It’s a young white boa constrictor. For now she isn’t as long as me, but her growth isn’t over. Soon, she’ll be a monster,” he said with a gleeful smile.

“I imagine! You must be fearless to handle them like that.”

“To be honest, it’s like a game to me. Want to hold her?” He asked with a malicious grin.

Bruce was astonished at this, it wasn’t something professionals would usually do. Yet this was a kid, not a professional. He considered the snake. She was a boa, so not poisonous, but she was big already. Yet he had to learn to conquer fear, hadn’t he? If he wasn’t able to do something like that…He showed his hands to allow the teen to give the snake and he noticed the surprised look on the other boy’s face. He was probably not expecting him to say yes.

“Spread your arms more, yes, like this, she’ll need you to balance her weight properly. Here you go…”

He put the snake in Bruce’s hands and his breath was cut off. The young boy was first stunned by the weight and the feeling of the cold scales, but soon he relaxed and released the air from his lungs. The beast put her head on his arm and he allowed her to do so. He looked at her with fascination; he could feel the strength in his fingers. He looked up to the boy who was grinning: “Could she kill me?”

“That’s a possibility. She is still small, but so are you.”

Bruce released a huff, still nervous but feeling strangely good too. He felt thrilled by that contact with danger, although the animal was passive, obviously well-tamed.

“She is a beauty.”

“You’re doing well for someone who isn’t used to that. What’s your name?”

“Bruce. You?”

“Jerome. I’ll take her back, though. If my mother sees that, she’ll go crazy. And she is really nagging when she’s like this.”

He took the snake back and put it in its cage.

“How old are you?” Asked Jerome.

“Eleven. You?”

“Fourteen. For a guy of your age, you are pretty daring indeed,” he said while looking at him with interest.

“You learned as a kid?” Asked Bruce while looking at the snakes.

“I lived in this circus all my life. And I lived with snake all my life as well. They’re my friends now. I don’t have a number in the show, but I help my mother to take care of them.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“It’s also helpful. Once a bully was trying to get me, I took one of those and approached him with it. He ran away like he had seen all hell unfold before him!” said Jerome while theatrically extending his arms.

It made Bruce giggle a bit. He could perfectly imagine the scene. “You probably never saw him again.”

“Oh I did, but he cowered when he saw me. That felt pretty satisfying. Though I wished I had beat him, but I wasn’t really good at fighting back then, and he was really tall.”

“The snake scare was more original,” Bruce pointed out.

“Yeah, more spectacular, too. Do you wanna see the others?”

Bruce nodded enthusiastically and Jerome showed him various snakes, he was especially impressed by the cobra.

“Those are more difficult than boas, and more dangerous in my opinion,” Jerome explained.

“Bruce?”

They both saw Alfred coming toward them, Bruce knew that Alfred was probably worried, he had forgotten the ‘Master’. Jerome put the cobra back in his cage. If the man started to complain to his mom, he wouldn’t hear the end of it. And if she was to tell his uncle…The man bowed slightly to him:

“Good evening.”

“Good evening,” he replied sternly.

“We have to go home, now.”

“Oh, okay,” the boy muttered with disappointment.

“You can come back tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have nothing to do,” Jerome suggested.

The kid accepted gladly, though his guardian was a bit less enthusiastic. Jerome watched them left. Bruce…He actually found himself wishing to see the kid again.


	2. Snakes and Knives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is here!

**Past**

Today was a Saturday, and Jerome felt a bit bored. He had first decided to scare off some of the acrobats’ kids, they were all afraid of him and it was always funny to make them scream. Yet their parents had taken them for some family time, or some shit like that. It was so hypocrite in his opinion. He wished to annoy Jeremiah, but his stupid brother had left for the library. He could have followed him, sure, but his uncle lived near the library. Uncle Zack hated Jerome, but he had a softer spot for Jeremiah, and if his whinny brother complained to Zack about him, he would be sure to receive one of his uncle’s ‘lessons’…

“Hey! Jerome!”

The call interrupted his thought and he was surprised to see the kid from last night coming toward him, obviously alone. He wasn’t really expecting him to come back. He smiled; maybe the afternoon wouldn’t be that boring.

“Bruce? You couldn’t resist the snakes?”

The boy huffed in amusement. “I hardly had time to speak with you last night.”

“Yeah, we’re always busy after the show. The rest of the day can be boring, though. Come, I didn’t show you all my friends.”

They went back to the snakes and Jerome explained him some things about the job. He also showed him a python: “You can try to hold him if you wish.”

“Okay…”

Bruce got the big snake handed. He was surprised the weight, it was really big! He was scared at first, but found himself more at ease. It wasn’t venomous, and it was passive as well. It felt extremely exciting to hold a creature who could kill him.

“Wow! It’s heavy!”

“Damn right! They are still venomous; not the python of course, but the others, like the cobra, still are. It’s rarer those days, a lot of circuses don’t let them keep their venom for security. It’s a bit lame; it takes all the fun away. It feels like cheating you know? You don’t really risk your life, even though everyone believes it,” Jerome stated. “I mean, your job is to risk your life for the show.”

Bruce was a bit taken aback, but he thought Jerome wasn’t talking really seriously:

“Isn’t it better though? I mean, if something happened to your mother…”

“Yeah, I know. But she is absolutely sure of herself with her snakes. Oh, by the way, I don’t know if you ever heard that joke: a snake says to another: _I hope I’m not poisonous. Why?_ Ask the second snake. _Because I just bit my lip_.”

Bruce laughed and Jerome did as well. He told him other jokes and they also spoke over different things. The older boy explained that the circus company was based in Gotham, they would stay here whenever they would prepare a new show instead of going on tour. They had a fair as well. The boy seemed comfortable speaking of his personal life, and Bruce eventually explained that Alfred was his guardian, and that he lost his parents. Jerome was about to ask what happened, when someone interrupted their conversation:

“Jerome?”

Bruce was surprised to see a boy looking exactly like Jerome but with glasses.

“Here is my twin, Bruce.”

“Oh, hello,” the boy politely said.

Bruce wondered why the twin in question looked so confused by his presence here. Yet the boy still introduced himself: “I’m Jeremiah.”

“Our mother wasn’t that inspired when she chose our names, as you can guess,” Jerome sighed.

“Well, speaking of mom, she asked me to search for you. She wants you to clean the dishes.”

“I’m with a friend. Can’t you do it?”

“I already did the laundry today. Look, if you don’t want to do it, fine, but you’ll tell her and uncle Zack, he is coming tonight..”

Jerome tensed a bit; he was about to say something but Bruce spoke first: “It’s okay, I can wait until you’re finished.”

His new friend shrugged and went back to their caravan, obviously angry. Bruce was surprised; sure, it was annoying, but it wasn’t that bad. Jeremiah sighed and turned to him:

“So, you’re Jerome’s…”

“Friend, I would say.”

“I didn’t know Jerome had friends.”

Bruce was a bit surprised at this and he felt antipathy toward the boy. He sounded like a bully, Bruce already had encountered some. Although he hardly knew the two brothers, he couldn’t help but feel already a bit partial.

“Well, apparently he does.”

Jeremiah lowered his eyes, understanding he made the boy uneasy.

“Hum, how did you two met?”

“We spoke about snakes yesterday,” Bruce replied simply and coldly.

“Yeah, he often plays with those. I never got why. I like to learn about those animals, but toying with those is not really my thing.”

“I like both,” Bruce stated. He glanced at the book Jeremiah had in hand and noticed it was _The_ _Count of Monte-Cristo_. He couldn’t help but ask: “You read this.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m kind of a nerd, I know…”

“I started to read it.”

Jeremiah seemed surprised at this: “Really?”

“Yeah, my…My father advised me to read it, a while ago.”

His heart tightened at this. Thomas really liked this book, and reading it was a bit like finding him again. Thomas suggested they could read it together, but Bruce had no wish to do so back then. He regretted it bitterly now. Even though he wasn’t feeling really warm toward that boy, he couldn’t help it, it felt somehow good to speak about the book.

“It’s really good, at which point are you?” Asked Jeremiah

“The middle I would say.”

“Then don’t tell me anything, I just started it.”

“No risk.”

They had a polite dialogue, but Bruce was still distant and a bit cold. Jeremiah went on: “It’s pretty complicated for someone of your age.”

“It’s not that hard.”

Feeling a bit uneasy, Jeremiah left the boy there and went back in their van. Jerome looked at him in a murderous way. There was no love between them, they had never been close but recently Jerome was getting scarier and scarier. He was actually thinking about trying to attend a boarding school, but he still had to convince his family to send him there...

“You know, brother, you should stick to your books. It’s much better for you.”

Jeremiah didn’t answer anything and Jerome left after the last dish. Jeremiah felt relieved. He couldn’t help but observe the two boys. Maybe that kid was as crazy as Jerome, or maybe his brother was fooling him, he didn’t know. He would still have to keep an eye on them.

**O o O**

**Present**

What the maniacs did was all over the news. Bruce saw it and felt horrified. When he had learned that Jerome had killed his mother, it seemed wrong, but he knew why. Jerome’s mother hated him, there was a motive. But those people…To think it was their fingers in the box…He took his phone, and decided to call Jeremiah. It seemed like an eternity to wait.

“Come on…” He muttered under his breath.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Jeremiah! It’s me.”

“ _Yeah, I thought about calling you. You heard the news?_ ”

“Jerome escaped. I even received something from him.”

He told Jeremiah what happened and he heard a short silence at first. “ _No doubt, that’s my charming brother indeed. I hope you’re under protection?_ ”

“Yeah, they put some cops to watch over the manor, but you should be as well.”

“ _Don’t worry for me, Jerome won’t find me._ ”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“ _We took care of that a long time ago. My brother can be cunning but he is no detective_.”

That was true, but to Bruce, it still seemed like a big risk. “I would come to visit you, but those cops won’t let me go anywhere. I had that Charity Gala, but it seems I won’t be able to attend it.”

“ _I wished we could see each other, but it’s better for both of us indeed. It’s sad, there is this new project I was working on, it’s for school. I wish I could have showed you, it’s a physic experiment about electrical power._ ”

“I’ll definitely come and see that when this will be over…”

“ _Bruce!_ ” Jeremiah suddenly interrupted, “ _Turn on your TV._ ”

“Hum, okay.”

He did as such and saw the news teller speaking of graphic image. Then he saw with horror Jerome appearing on the screen. Bruce’s breath was cut off. It had been months that he hadn’t seen Jerome, maybe a year. And now…He had blood on his face but was still grinning madly.

“ _Hello, Gotham! We’re the Maniacs, and I’m Jerome, the…Psycho leader of our little game!_ ”

Bruce watched in a trance-like state; Jerome was giving his little discourse and he couldn’t help but shiver. The madness he had started to see in Jerome before they parted was now completely exposed. And it was deep-rooted, he could see it. He was devastated as he watched the result of all that happened to Jerome, what the boy had transformed into…Oh, was this really the boy with whom he had been close friends? Alfred stepped in the room and saw it as well. Jerome was calling people to be free, to unleash and rebel. Then he added:

“ _This is only the beginning…oh and there is something I would like to say to someone dear to me…_ ” He approached the camera and looked at it intensely. Bruce tensed: at this moment, it felt like Jerome was directly looking at him. “ _I’m back, and this time, there will be no running away. Bye!_ ”

Bruce breathed harder and faster, he was afraid, really afraid. This and the fingers in the box…Jerome would come for him.

“ _Bruce, are you okay?_ ” Asked Jeremiah at the end of the line. Bruce felt two hands grabbing his shoulders and jumped in surprise before seeing Alfred.

“Calm down, Master Bruce. We’ll train for this, and I won’t let him approach you.”

The boy nodded and spoke on the phone: “I’m alright…Just shocked.”

“ _I know…Be on guard, okay? I know you’re under police protection, but you have to watch out. Also, remember: you still know him, Bruce. If he approaches you, you have to remember that you know him, even if it seems like he had changed. This was always inside him, the only difference is that he shows it_.”

“What do you mean?”

“ _You used to hang around him, maybe more than me. You must remember some weaknesses he has, and his strength as well. If he ever gets to you, it could save your life_.”

“He killed many cops already…What could I do…”

“ _They didn’t know him. You’re smarter than him, we’re both_.”

Bruce wished Jeremiah was right, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe his brother was underestimating his demented twin. Jerome wasn’t stupid at all, but he was impulsive, that was true.

“I’ll remember that. Be careful as well, Jeremiah…I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“ _I don’t want you to get hurt either._ ”

They hung up and Bruce turned to Alfred. His guardian still had a hand on his shoulder and Bruce suddenly got scared again: “Detective Gordon…What if he got killed as well?!”

“I’m sure he is fine, detective Gordon is a tough one. We’ll check up on him and we’ll get back to your training after that. Remember: the best way to defeat evil is to be ready for it.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Alfred nodded proudly at him. Still, he hoped that nothing would happen. Bruce was only thirteen, maybe he didn’t realize how dangerous this really was. He would do his best to protect him; he was way too young to confront something like this alone.

**O o O**

**Past**

“Are the knives blunted in the circus? The one they throw,” Asked Bruce to Jerome during his second visit.

“Yes. The point is still sharp though. It’s not enough to kill someone, but it can hurt, especially depending where you plant it. I used to train with those.”

“So you know how to throw knives?”

“I do, and I’m good at it. You pick up some things living in a circus.”

Bruce didn’t say it, but Jerome guessed: “Are you going to turn me into a personal teacher?” He said jokingly. “You know what? I accept, but only if I can have you as a target. Dare?”

“You bet!” Bruce replied daringly.

“I like the spirit!”

They got the blunted knives and Jerome installed Bruce before a plank of wood.

“See, it’s actually not that easy to throw a knife. You have to held the handle firmly enough; there are several way to place your fingers, it’s up to you to choose which one. There is just one, the index, you have to keep it on edge it will control your knife.”

Bruce listened carefully and Jerome took some steps away. The boy put himself in position and Bruce stopped breathing as he sent the first knife. It landed right beside his ear. He let out the air, he wasn’t hurt. He tried to remember that those wouldn’t really hurt him, but decided to push that away. He had to fight fear. He had to imagine that those weapons were for real. That’s why when Jerome threw another one, he couldn’t help but flinch. He still stood as the boy threw others, still imagining that those were real and he couldn’t help but feel an adrenaline rush. He could feel his veins pulsing, energy sprinting through his body; he was more alive than usual. When Jerome was done, he looked at the result. His form was vague, but it was good.

“Well done!”

“Thank you,” said Jerome bowing a bit. “Though I maintain there is no thrill without danger.” He took out a real knife from his pocket. It was small, but very real. “This doesn’t look as impressive as those fake daggers, but at least it can hurt someone for real. But I guess it would be too dangerous.”

Bruce looked up at him and straightened his stance. Jerome titled his head slightly and smiled. Without a word, the dark-haired boy went back against the plank with a little daring smile and stood still. He didn’t need to speak, his eyes were clearly challenging the redhead. Jerome felt a real glee. Throwing a knife at a real person…He had never done that before…

His arm went up and he threw the blade. Bruce stopped breathing and he could literally see the time slowing for that short moment. Then the knife planted itself with a sound which seemed almost deafening. It had landed beside his head, not too close but not that far either. Bruce breathed hard at this and then giggled without even thinking about it. Jerome went to him, grinning widely: “Feel good?”

“Yeah…I feel great actually! As if I couldn’t hold in place!”

“That’s the adrenaline, I think. You have much more guts than most of people! But now, it’s your turn to throw.”

He showed him again how to handle the blades and though Bruce was still a beginner, he found out he was quite good at this. Jerome somehow enjoyed it, the kid was younger but was it important? Teaching someone what he knew felt strangely good. The kid was looking up to him, listening to him…It was an ego boost he really needed.

“When you’ll be good enough, I’ll let you use me as a target,” Jerome promised. “Maybe I’ll let you throw the real one at me! Maybe a real dagger, if I can get one.”

“You want to buy one?”

“I’m saving money for it, I do like knives; I had an army swiss knife once, one I found, but my uncle took it from me. I couldn’t throw it or anything, but it was still cool and useful.”

When Bruce left Jerome to wait for Alfred outside the circus, he crossed Jeremiah. He politely said ‘Hi’ and was about to walk away when the older boy spoke to him:

“Bruce? Wait.”

Bruce looked at him, but didn’t say a word. “I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn’t want to be mean or anything, I just…We had an argument, Jerome and I.”

“Thanks for saying that.”

“So, you’re going home?”

“Yes, I still have homework to do. We’re working on ‘How to Kill a Mockingbird’ in school.”

“That’s great! You like it?”

“Yeah, a lot!”

They spoke about books until Alfred arrived. Jeremiah seemed less distasteful to him now. Having a friend who liked to read didn’t seem bad at all. His guardian finally arrived, and Jeremiah left them. Bruce went in the car happily.

“You had fun it seems.”

“A lot! Jeremiah is maybe nicer than I thought.”

“You should still try to make more friends at school, you know. Those two boys are a bit old.”

“Not that much. I’m not getting along with the other kids at school, they are either too childish or snobbish. I don’t really fit in there.”

It hurt Alfred to hear that. He always knew that Bruce wasn’t like other kids, and he feared this would really affect his life. If this Jerome and his brother could make him feel less alone, be it.

**O o O**

**Present**

In his Penthouse, Theo Galavan was watching the news with satisfaction. Jerome did a really good job. Sadly, he would have to get rid of the kid soon, he was too much of loose cannon, one day, he would turn against him. He only wondered who Jerome was talking about when he was speaking of someone he would come for. Maybe another member of his family? It didn’t matter much anyway; the kid could get his revenge if he wanted, for all Theo cared. He could give him that pleasure before killing him. He heard footsteps and saw Jerome as well as some maniacs approaching.

“You did a great job yesterday, not only with the attack but with that little speech as well.”

“Well, thank you! That police massacre was truly inspiring.”

“Apparently you have followers! Watch.”

He looked at the TV; This morning, people devastated some streets of Gotham, wearing strange outfits and yelling that Jerome was their new leader. Seeing this, Jerome felt incredibly satisfied. People were getting his message, that was good! He was getting recognition! Now, he had to find a way to use this…

“You’ll soon have a new event to attend. You’ll be the star once again.” Theo said.

“Enlighten me.”

Galavan had a little evil smile, he went to look at the window and explained: “In some days, there will be a Gala, a charity gala. I’ll go there and you’ll be there as well. Let’s say that Jerome Valeska, the new terror of Gotham, will do another evil deed by taking a young orphan hostage in front of everyone. Put a knife under his neck and threaten him. Then, a hero no one expected will save the day. Now, sure, the psycho will escape, but the orphan will be safe thanks to him.”

“I see…You’ll be the new pet of Gotham! And who is the little orphan who will have the honor to be saved by the hero?”

“Bruce Wayne.”

Bruce?! Jerome couldn’t help but be stunned at this. Yet he recovered soon, and Galavan hadn’t seen his expression. Just hearing the man saying his name felt strange. As if he could reach Bruce easily. It was weird. But it meant he would have an occasion to reunite with him…He remembered their last encounter…Since then, he wished to see the boy again, and now the craving was more intense.

“So, I mustn’t kill him.”

“No. Bruce Wayne will die, be sure of that, but not immediately. Not before I get everything that belongs to him.”

Oh that was priceless! It was too funny! Galavan didn’t know about he and Bruce…Of course he didn’t! He had no idea what he just did…Barbara entered the room, she would participate too apparently. Theo told him there would be a magician, he would take his place. Bruce never liked magicians, it would be funny to have him in the middle of a magic trick! Oh this gala would definitely be great! Even more hilarious than the rest!

Jerome smirked while leaving Galavan. It felt pretty exciting to have that secret. No one here knew that Bruce Wayne was no stranger to him. In fact, Galavan’s plans would go through some changes. He was starting to think about what he wanted, about what he would do. He had ideas. He didn’t have much time to prepare, but he should manage. He exited the Penthouse that night without being seen. The News had spoken about those admirers he got, it was time to try to find some of them and pay them a little visit. After all, the best villains always had loyal goons…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hesitate to comment!


	3. Magic and Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! An important note: Essen is alive in this fic, she is in hospital, not dead. I just liked her very much.

**Present**

 

When Galavan heard that young Bruce Wayne wouldn’t attend the Gala he was enraged. He hadn’t been told why, but apparently the boy was under police protection. He had to do something…His move was bold, but he couldn’t let the boy escape, everything he had prepared would fail if the kid stayed home. He read the newspaper while his driver was bringing him to his destination. Jerome was definitely getting famous! That was all for the best. Apparently, some kind of weird cult had been formed around Jerome those last days. People dressed like punks had committed several acts of violence in the name of a new leader. He had spoken about it with the boy, but Jerome claimed he did nothing to obtain that. According to him, it was only thanks to his apparition on TV after the massacre in GCPD. It didn’t matter anyway, he would get rid of the red-head soon. It was sad, the kid really had potential, but it had to be done.  

 

His car reached the gate of Manor Wayne. Galavan felt hatred when he saw that place; those Waynes…He allowed the cops to control his car and clothes, he had no weapons at all. They allowed him to enter. Thankfully enough, Theo had enough connections to visit a person under protection. When he entered Wayne Manor, the kid was in his living room, reading some documents with his butler. They were both surprised at his sight.

 

“Sir?”

 

“Good morning. You don’t know me, my name is Theo Galavan.”

 

“Pleased to meet you,” the kid answered in a confused tone. “Please, take a sit.”

 

Theo sat on a chair, facing Bruce who sat back on the couch, his butler standing protectively at his side.

 

“May we know the reason of your visit, sir?” Asked the butler suspiciously

 

“Of course. As you might know, I’m part of the organization for today’s Gala. I heard you wouldn’t come?”

 

“Oh! Yes, indeed. I received threats, and with what happened recently the police decided it would be better for me to remain here.”

 

“It’s understandable. Yet I came to know if there would be a possibility for you to reconsider that decision.”

 

“Sir, this is dangerous!” Alfred blurted out.

 

“Sir, I assure you I understand you worry, but it will be safe. There will be a lot of security, and there is no way any of those ‘maniacs’ could know you would go there. I don’t believe this of people to have that sort of connections. And it would be a good thing, really.”

 

“I know charity events are meaningful, I usually go…Well, I go in the stead of my parents.”

 

“It’s not only about the money it could raise. People in Gotham need to see people standing up to fear. If we all stop the course of our actions, those people win. And more importantly, if we stop doing good, if we stop helping others because of those terrorists, we’re helping them. It’s in those time of fear that we must do our best. Especially us, people of the elite.”

 

This speech was like a big blow to Bruce’s brain. This man was right…He couldn’t just hide in his manor like that…Theo went on:

 

“I would understand if you would prefer to stay home, but I just want you to think about it. I have enough connections to arrange for you to come, with an escort, of course. Please, let us know if you’ll come.”

 

Galavan didn’t remain with him for long, but when he left, Alfred felt like cursing him. He felt that Bruce wanted to go there and he would have a hard time to make the boy change his mind.

 

“Bruce, you can’t do this.”

 

“He is right, Alfred. And there will be security indeed, I’ll be safe. Most of the social elite will be there, it’s not as if they wouldn’t be careful with that. And I could use some times out of the Manor.”

 

“Master Bruce, if Jerome find about it…”

 

“He won’t. He probably won’t expect me to go. Just as Jeremiah said, he is no detective. Please, Alfred, I don’t want to stay here and do nothing.”

 

“You’re only thirteen.”

 

“I can do it. Please, it’s no big deal.”

 

Alfred sighed. He didn’t know about it. He wanted to teach the kid courage, he wanted him to be able to confront his fears and the world outside. Encouraging him to hide was no way to accomplish that. yet he couldn’t endanger his boy…But it was true there would be a lot of security and maybe it could help Bruce. He knew how guilty the boy felt. If doing something right could help him feel a bit better, maybe it was worth it.

 

O o O

Jim and Harvey were before the flat in which Jerome’s father lived. Jim wasn’t sure that the man made his son escape, but he could know something. He and his partners were on the edge since Essen was shot, she was still in comatose, and it was driving them crazy at times. That, plus Barbara on the loose menacing to kill him or Lee and Bruce being threatened…He felt like his world could crumble at any time. He remembered the severed fingers in Bruce living room, and the boy’s pale and scared face…He remembered Essen in his arms with blood on her chest…He had to find Jerome!

“Mr Cicero! We need to speak to you! It’s about your son!”

Bullock sighed. Was the old man home? If not, where could he be?! He could hardly hold in place, he wanted to get his hands on the fucking psycho who killed some of his colleague and sent Essen in hospital. They suddenly heard a scream of pain. Jim broke the door without second thought.  Inside, they found Cicero’ body tied to a chair, and a knife in his eye. Guns pointed out, they searched for Jerome, but it seemed like he vanished in thin air. Jim was still looking around when he saw gas suddenly spreading out near the corpse. Bullock breathed it and started to stumble. No!

“Harvey!”

He dragged out his partner, trying not to breath the gas but they both ended in the corridor, Harvey unconscious and Jim coughing, his vision spinning and his body hardly responsive. He heard a whistle and saw Jerome above him. He tried to hurt him, to throttle him, but he was too weak for that. Oh, to have that monster right before him and being unable to move away from the ground! The last thing he saw before falling unconscious was a woman dressed in black. Then, pains and darkness.

Turning away from the unconscious cops, Tabitha was happy to finally leave. Jerome had insisted to come here and she had followed because there was no point arguing with him. The red-head had given his father a piece of his mind and also asked him where his old stuff was. He then had searched through the old man’s stuff before finding something. This had been annoying and pretty pointless in her eyes.

“Was it really necessary to come here? I mean we got the occasion to beat up Gordon, but otherwise than that, you just killed your dad.”

“Not only. See, he got some of my stuff after I got arrested, since he was one of my closest relative. And there is one thing in particular I wanted to get back.”

“What is it?”

He showed her what he had in his hand: a Swiss Army Knife. She raised an eyebrow and he didn’t bother explaining her anything. This was personal after all.

**Past**

The day of his fifteenth birthday, Jerome was outside the circus. He was on the docks, he would rather stay here, his mother seemed even more eager to make his life a living hell whenever it was his birthday. Jeremiah was out as well, though their mother would rarely hurt him as badly as he. Maybe uncle Zack would give a birthday gift to that stupid whim. He couldn’t help but be jealous of that, even if he hated his uncle, it was still unfair.

 

“I was told you were there, I feared not to find you.”

 

Jerome was agreeably surprised to hear Bruce’s voice. They were hanging out more and more, it had been several weeks they knew each other and they were growing closer and closer. The kid sat at his side, a smile dancing on his lips.

 

“Why? Is there anything important?”

 

“Of course!” He took something out of his jacket and handed it to his friend. It was small and wrapped in a paper. “Happy birthday!”

 

This took Jerome’s breath out. Bruce thought about his birthday?! His family wouldn’t care but the kid did…That was almost funny in some way. Before Jerome’s stunned expression, Bruce felt confused: “Is it the wrong day?”

 

“No, you got it right! I’m just surprised! That’s cute, Brucie!” Bruce huffed, gave him the package and Jerome unwrapped the thing. He discovered a Swiss Army knife in it. He was elated as he saw it, not only he wanted one but it was good quality!

 

“You said your uncle took the one you had. Be careful with that one.”

 

Jerome took Bruce by the shoulders in a brotherly way: “That’s awesome! Thanks…really.”

 

“You’re welcome. Check it out!”

 

They looked at everything it had, Jerome tested the blades on whatever he could find. Bruce was happy, his friend obviously liked it.

 

“I bought a book for Jeremiah. I didn’t what I should offer him, so I figured it would be good.”

 

Jerome felt a pang of jealousy at this. The fact Bruce had bought Jeremiah something bothered him greatly.

 

“You thought of him as well…How nice.”

 

“Well, if I thought of you, I could hardly forget him, though I don’t know him as well as you.”

 

Although it didn’t shut down the jealousy, it reassured Jerome. He had learned who Bruce really was, the only one Bruce Wayne, although the boy never told him. He guessed that in the rich world he was in, he had to observe manners. The boy probably bought Jeremiah a gift out of politeness, a book because his stupid brother hardly liked anything else. The knife had more personality as a gift.

 

“I really like it. Speaking of knives, do you wanna throw some? You can have me as your target this time!”

 

Bruce nodded enthusiastically. His results weren’t as good as Jerome’s and he hit the boy once with a fake knife but the red-head didn’t mind. The kid did quite well, they trained at several occasions, it was their favorite game.

 

“Not bad at all,” the red-head told him.

 

“I still need time to reach your level.”

 

“You will, I’m sure of that.”

 

It felt so strange…Like having a pupil or even a little brother.

 

“Hey, what are the two of you doing?! I didn’t allow you to use my knives!”

 

It was the knife thrower, and he didn’t look happy at the two boys.

 

“Hide them better next time!” Jerome laughed while grabbing Bruce by the arm to run.

 

The two ran away from the furious man, Bruce couldn’t help but giggle even though he knew that was bad. They hide behind a caravan, laughing and panting. They heard the man’s voice:

 

“Jeremiah! Did you see your brother and that other kid?”

 

“They went toward the fair.”

 

The guy went away and Jeremiah came to them, he knew they were hiding here.

 

“What did you do?” Asked he when he was at their level, quite amused to see Bruce both amused and spooked.

 

“We had some fun, something you should try to do,” Jerome sneered.

 

Bruce gave him a little jab in the ribs, after all, Jeremiah just covered them so he shoul have been more thankful toward his brother. “Hey, happy birthday too, Jeremiah.”

 

“Thanks,” the twin replied with a smile.

 

“Bruce got something for both of you and me. That’s nice of him,” Jerome announced gleefully.

 

Bruce couldn’t perceive it, but the hidden message was clear to both Jerome and Jeremiah: _Don’t steal my things_. Jerome wasn’t the kind to let someone take away what he held dear. He gripped the Swiss Army knife even tighter.

 

**Present**

The gala seemed more like a fashion show or something like that. People were mostly using a good excuse to go out and dress up. Though he was aware of that, Bruce was still convinced by Galavan’s words. If good things could be done in such bad times, then it was worth bearing this tedious event. Alfred was at his side, Bruce could see he was checking the security, and his guardian seemed reassured. They crossed Lee Thompkins path and Alfred looked entranced already.

While Alfred was speaking to the young woman, Bruce saw Selina from afar. He didn’t know how she got in, but it didn’t really matter to him. At that instant all that mattered was the fact they were both in the same place and that she looked really lovely. Dressed as a street girl or in a elegant dress, she would always make him feel butterfly in his belly. It seemed like an eternity since he last saw her, even though it was only a few days. She was pick-pocketing already. He went to her and gently tapped her arm.

“Hi, Selina.”

“Bruce.”

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here. It’s nice, though.”

“I’m working. I’d better get to where rich people go.”

“This is for a good cause, you know.”

“Well, I still need to eat.”

He hesitated. He was sure she wouldn’t accept, but he had to try, at least: “Don’t you wanna stay a bit? There is a magician.”

“No. I have to work and I hate magicians.”

“Me too, I just thought it would be less boring if we watched that together.”

She shrugged and went away. He couldn’t help but feel a bit heart-broken. He guessed he should have known but he couldn’t just ignore Selina. He returned to Alfred, and after Lee Thompkins made her announcement, the magician came. He had that weird fake bear and all, probably to amuse the public. He and his assistant started with some little tricks. The audience seemed pleased, except for the young Wayne.

Bruce didn’t like it at all. Something about the magician made him uneasy. It was instinctive but something bothered the boy. He couldn’t help but remember that time when he told Jerome and Jeremiah he hated magician…Maybe it was just that, memories linked to Jerome, which made him feel strange.

“For the next one, I need a volunteer!”

Jerome perfectly knew who he wanted; no one else could do. He had noticed him as soon as he entered the room. Standing in the back in a little tuxedo, his Bruce looked a bit too uptight, but damn, he had grown up. Before Bruce could realize it, the man’s finger was pointed at him. He felt uneasy; he knew he didn’t want to go. Yet the magician assistant came toward him and every eye were on him; Selina was watching him as well. He didn’t want to appear childish or afraid, so he took the woman’s hand and followed her on stage. When he approached the magician, he got that same feeling. Something was wrong. It took him all his self-control to get in the box to perform the next magic trick.

Jerome had to contain his excitation. Bruce was here! Bruce was before him! He couldn’t help but take his arm to help him into the box. Oh that was just thrilling! It had been such a long time! And here Bruce was, clearly nervous, clearly reluctant, but Jerome still got him where he wanted! Oh that was only the beginning! He performed the trick, ruffling the boy’s hair in a comforting gesture, taking enjoyment in his fear. At times it seemed like Bruce was about to recognize him. He’d better not. He wanted it to happen exactly as he wanted and it wasn’t the right time anyway.

Once the trick was performed, he could see the relief on Bruce’s face. He reluctantly let him leave and called the mayor on stage. Everything went according to plan. He killed the mayor, he got people hostage thanks to the henchmen. He made Lee go on stage and Barbara tied her to the spinning wheel to scare Gordon. He used her phone to taunt the man and made fake demands on TV. Then, Galavan made his little appearance. He acted like a hero, said his name in an obvious way to the camera, and (just as they all planned) Barbara hit him with her hammer. Jerome knew he wasn’t really unconscious; he was faking until he got Bruce on stage. He couldn’t see the boy, maybe he was hiding under a table, the henchmen didn’t let anyone escape. His butler/guardian was still here, though.

It was all like in a dream. He had a stage, an audience; he was being a showman, really!

He played a bit with some hostages and he loved that. He knew his followers were preparing his escape at the same time. He planned things with them behind Galavan’s back, he met that guy named Clyde who had started this cult and gathered many of his followers, and they had planned Jerome’s exit after the show.

He heard Barbara speaking to Lee. She was bitching again about Jim Gordon, it kinda annoyed Jerome. She had spent most of her time at Galavan’s home doing nothing but bitching about Gordon, fornicating with Tabitha and whining about being bored. He liked her at first at Arkham but she was getting on his nerves. She made Lee spin round and eventually stopped; then suddenly, the woman kicked Barbara in the crotch. Jerome couldn’t help but giggle at Lee’s kick and immediately stopped Barbara when she tried to stab the woman.

“Huhu, not now.”

Though she gave him the knife, Barbara still punched the dark-haired. Jerome rolled his eyes and took out his gun again. 

“Hey, Barb!”

The blond looked at him only to see the gun pointed at her head. A gunshot echoed and Barbara’s brain was splattered on the ground in an instant. Parts of it went on Lee’s dress. The bound woman yelled in shock; Jerome looked at Barbara’s corpse:

“Sorry, you were nice-looking, but you were starting to annoy me, and I have a thing for brunets.” He winked at Lee out of malice. “You’ll excuse me for my assistant! She didn’t really understand who the star of this show was! Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll keep you here, now that this babe died, I need another eye-candy with me on stage.”

Lee didn’t answer anything, terrified and certainly not willing to take any risk in her position. He leaned closely and whispered in her ear:

“Did you ever had that exhilarating moment when everything you always wanted is about to come to you? I’m experiencing that, right now, you can’t imagine how good it feels, lady.”

He got away from her, and spoke into the mic again. Time to get what he wanted, he fooled around enough.

“Now, time to get serious. It’s time for a little show about reunion. For that, I need a very specific person. My dear friend and favorite volunteer: BRUCE WAYNE!”

Alfred felt a cold wave go through him. It was exactly what he feared; let’s hope Bruce got away…No one dared to move in the room. Jerome waited but no sign of Bruce. He couldn’t have left the room? He spoke once more:

“You know Bruce; I’m now an orphan too. You probably know I killed my mother, but I also killed my dad this afternoon. I wish to tell you about it, there are so many things we need to discuss!” He addressed the audience again: “This might astonish you all, but Bruce and I used to be friends. That’s until he decided to turn his back on me! But you see, Bruce, no one walks away from me, no one! So, unless you want your daddy replacement to die, you’ll come here!”

 

Behind a curtain, Bruce was watching. He had managed to exit the main room with Selina and thank God she got away. Yet he didn’t follow her, he had refused in spite of her insistence. He couldn’t leave if Alfred was here. Yet now, the kid was frozen. He couldn’t let Alfred die, but oh God, he was afraid. He hated himself for that, he was unable to move, just like this night when his parents died…

 

“Bruce! Where are you, buddy?! Do I need to kill your butler?”

 

Bruce was trembling, he knew Jerome meant it. He already killed his mother, so if he threatened to kill Alfred…With a shaking hand, he went to open the curtain, when somebody grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see Jim behind him:

 

“Detective Gordon? He’s going to kill Alfred.”

 

“ _Bruciiiie!_ ”

 

“No, it’s you he wants. Bruce, he just wants you.”

 

Oh, he knew that, and he knew too well how Jerome could act whenever he wanted to get his hands on something. Alfred would die. The words meant to stop him just fueled his courage.

 

“BRUCE!”

 

“I can’t let him kill Alfred!” He uttered, determined.

 

Jerome was starting to get really angry. That brat wouldn’t escape him! _Very well, Bruce, I’m gonna make you regret that_.

 

“Shoot the Butler!”

 

“Stop!”

 

Bruce came from behind the curtain. Jerome felt wonderfully happy at that. Finally! He got him! The dark-haired boy didn’t miss the gleeful smile on his former friend’s face. Bruce quickly went to Alfred: “There is a gun in my jacket, Gordon is behind the curtain…”

 

He only had the time to hurriedly say that, when he felt an arm strongly encircling his chest and tearing him away from his guardian. The cold blade of a knife was pressed against his neck, but it wasn’t what made his stomach churl. It was that arm around him, bringing him back to _one day_ , a day he could never forget... He vaguely heard whimpers and cries of panics people made at the sight of a kid taken hostage by the psycho.

 

“Here you are! Let’s get this started!” He told his men to check behind the curtains while dragging Bruce toward the stage where Lee was still tied on the wheel, Barbara was floating in a poodle of her own blood and Galavan lying down.

 

“You can’t imagine how much I waited for this, Bruce. Beware! This time, the blade is sharp!”

 

As if he wanted to prove his words, he made a slight cut on Bruce’s throat. Suddenly, gunshots echoed through the hall. Gordon and Alfred were firing at Jerome’s accomplices. His hold on Bruce got even tighter and he continued to drag him while holding the knife. Some of the henchmen fell on the ground and Jerome laughed at the screams and the bloodbath. He continued to hold Bruce before him, knowing they wouldn’t shoot him.

 

“Release him, Jerome!”

 

“Seems like we got in troubles again, Bruce. I think we should leave that place…”

 

Keeping his knife on his neck, he released his hold on Bruce’s torso and took out his gun again.

 

“What are you doing?” Bruce murmured in a trembling voice.

 

“Getting rid of a problem.”

 

They heard someone moving behind them and Jerome turned his head to see Galavan standing up. With no further words, he shot him in the chest. The man had a spasm, his eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe it. Jerome maniacally laughed at this sight and started to drag Bruce backstage, careful to keep the boy before him all the time. The police would try to pursue him but he knew what to do. Bruce tried to struggle a bit but Jerome pressed the knife harder:

 

“Be nice! I don’t want to kill you because you got bratty!”

 

“Let me go, stop it!”

 

“Oh no, not this time!”

 

He forced him to go by the backdoor where a van was awaiting. Bruce tried to get the knife off his neck, he kicked Jerome in the shins several time, but only resulted in getting more cuts or feeling the arm around him tighten.

 

“You’re getting annoying!”

Suddenly, Jerome grabbed his head and pushed him against a wall. It wasn’t enough to knock him out, but he wasn’t able to struggle anymore. He couldn’t do anything but allow Jerome to half-drag him wherever he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Don't hesitate to review!


	4. For Your Entertainment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am! I slightly modified this chapter from the original one, just a few sentences, nothing much.

**Past**

School sucked! Bruce wished Alfred would home-school him! Not only he wasn’t really finding anyone with whom he could be friends, but now things were worse. Tommy…That stupid bully and his friends dared to come and…It brought tears to his face when he thought about it! Alfred tried to have him talk, but he didn’t want to say anything, not for now. When Bruce came to visit them, both Jerome and Jeremiah noticed the bruise on his face. While Jeremiah felt concerned, Jerome felt angry. A feeling of possessiveness invaded him immediately: no one touched what was his!

“Who did that?” He asked immediately.

“Just an accident.”

“Come on, we know a lot about that kind of accident,” Jeremiah stated gently. “What happened?”

Bruce sat at their side. He didn’t want to speak to Alfred, but somehow, he felt a bit more comfortable with his friends, maybe because they were teenagers. The boy sighed: “Some guy at school, Tommy. He spoke about my mother, he mocked her even though she is dead…”

“And you do love your mother,” Jerome summed up. _In contrary to me_. “Well, what are you gonna do?”

Bruce didn’t answer, but Jerome saw in his eyes what the boy truly wanted. Jeremiah felt it as well, and he didn’t want Bruce to do something stupid.

“You know, there is probably something to get him with. He says things you don’t like about your mother, but that guy probably has a nerve you can hit. Something to taunt him as well, or…”

“Seriously, will you stop with your pussy solution?” Jerome sneered. He turned to Bruce: “Come, there is only one way to deal with bullies.”

He made Bruce follow him and though Jeremiah tried to protest at first, but the dark-haired boy told him it was okay. He didn’t want to make Jeremiah feel rejected or anything, but he felt like Jerome might be more helpful here. “You know how to throw a punch, after all, you’ll show that guy he shouldn’t mess up with you. Where does he live?”

“I think I remember, I went at his place once, when my parents were still alive.”

They took two different bus to reach their destination, Bruce got on the right street and searched the name on the mailboxes. He finally found it. That’s where Tommy lived. Jerome whistled.

“That’s a nice street! Clean and all, I like it!”

Bruce didn’t answer and Jerome tilted his head.

“You’re scared?”

“I’m going there, I just need to visualize. I’m a bit nervous.”

“Oh, do you want me to hold your hand?”

Bruce just pushed him in response and Jerome laughed while watching him go to the door. The boy rang the bell and Tommy opened the door. Jerome observed with interest.

“What are you doing here?”

“We have unfinished business,” Bruce hissed.

“Look, if you plan to tell my mom…”

Suddenly, Bruce punched him with no warning. Jerome smirked gleefully at this sight.

“Don’t talk about my mother!” Yelled Bruce before giving another hard punch. And another followed again. That stupid Tommy kid was on the ground, holding his nose; Bruce punched him once more and a pathetic whimper was heard.

“Wow, was that a squeal?” Jerome cackled. “I don’t know little snobs squealed like pigs!”

Bruce looked at him with a huge smile, he was trembling out of excitement, his heart was pulsing madly. Tommy looked at the red-head in distress: “He tried to kill me!”

“Oh no! That was simply a little dressing down. This…” He took out a knife and crouched at Tommy’s level before putting the knife under his throat, “This look much more like murder, doesn’t it? Now, tell me, how is it that your big mouth is suddenly silent? Is it out of order? Let me tell you one thing, you screw up once more, and you might accidentally run into a knife a few times.”

“Jerome, we should go.”

The red-head didn’t want to leave yet. That expression of fear on the boy’s face was exhilarating, but he knew Bruce was right. They stood up and left Tommy on the ground, completely terrified. On their way back, Bruce was feeling a bit worried. Jerome’s attitude had been a bit strange; yet maybe it was only meant to scare Tommy. Yes, it was probably that and nothing else.

“You were scary back there!” Bruce exclaimed

“What do you want? I love to play ‘Cuckoo for Coco Pops’! Or maybe I’m really a little psycho inside, who knows? I was told I should go to a shrink but the voices in my head strongly disagree.”

Bruce huffed at that, thinking it was a mere joke. “Thanks for helping anyway.”

“Anytime.”

What happened could hardly be called a fight; it was more like a beating. Things were different a few days after. Jeremiah had to buy a book for school, Bruce had suggested they would come with him, to have a walk in town and spend some time together. Though Jerome wasn’t thrilled at the idea to spend time with his brother, going outside of this circus was fine with him. Anyway, he wouldn’t be alone with his boring brother. After they went to the bookshop, they decided to head toward the docks. While they were walking and talking, three guys suddenly appeared and pushed them in a dead-end alley. They were taken by surprise; the guys who did that were older than them, probably eighteen, obviously thugs.

“Okay, you three little bitches, you give us your money and maybe we’ll let you leave with no broken bones.”

“Okay, we don’t want any troubles,” Jeremiah said.

“Are you kidding? I love troubles, though I’m usually the one making some,” Jerome stated at the guys, almost casually.

“Listen, kiddo, you don’t stand a fucking chance. A freak, a nerd and a shrimp! Now is your last chance…”

“We’re not giving you anything,” Bruce declared firmly.

Jerome leaned toward the dark-haired boy: “Would you believe it, Bruce? Now they come to us by themselves! We can’t say no to such an invitation!”

Bruce didn’t say anything and took off his jacket and the guys were a bit taken aback by Jerome gleeful smirk and Bruce’s attitude. Jeremiah closed his eyes. He didn’t like that, not one bit, but he had to admit that they had no choice indeed. And even if he could leave, he wouldn’t let Bruce and Jerome fight alone. He didn’t like his brother, but the kid was another story. He noticed a wooden stick on the ground. He wasn’t a fighter, but he had good knowledge of anatomy and knew where he should hit an aggressor.

“Okay, you wanna do this, little…”

Before the guy could finish his sentence, Bruce had jumped on him and was punching him. Jerome threw himself in the fight as well and hit a guy who was about to attack Bruce. Jeremiah took the stick and hit the necks, heads and ribs. One of them tackled Bruce but the boy sent his elbow in the guy’s forehead hard and hit him hard to reverse their position. After a few punches, the guy was definitely down. Bruce went to help Jeremiah. The other twin was struggling against his opponent who was trying to strangle him. He punched the guy hard in the rib and kicked him as well. The guy released his hold but was about to strike again when Jeremiah suddenly spat in eyes. The thug’s threw his head back in shock and blinked stupidly. Jeremiah seized the occasion and hit him hard on the head with his stick, and the time he was down. Bruce turned round and looked at Jerome who was beating the third guy, laughing all the while. He couldn’t help but be scared again. He took his friend’s arm.

“It’s okay, he can’t feel anything anymore.”

The guy was indeed unconscious now. Jerome passed a hand on his forehead and hair with a satisfied expression: “I guess I got a little carried away.”

“You bunch of fuckers…”

One of their attackers was getting off the ground, stumbling.

“You’re gonna pay for this, I can guarantee you that!”

“Oh no, you’re gonna tell our moms?” Jerome sneered.

“You know, it’s better for you if everyone forget what happened,” Jeremiah stated. “I mean you wouldn’t want everyone to learn that you seek revenge because you and your friends got beaten by a freak, a nerd and a shrimp.”

“A twelve year old shrimp,” Bruce added.

The guy just panted, obviously considering it all. The three just turned away and left the thugs in the alley. Jerome was obviously in a very good mood, his knuckles were bleeding and he had a big smile on his face. Bruce wondered how wrong it was. His friend had been frightening back there, but to be honest…He had enjoyed the fight too. For a moment, he had felt almost in a bliss. His pain, his questions, his fear…He had forgotten all of that when he was fighting. There had been nothing but an exhilarating feeling, adrenaline, empowerment…Jerome probably felt that as well. Maybe he liked it a bit too much, but Bruce couldn’t really judge him. Jeremiah looked a bit annoyed with what happened.

“Are you alright? You spat on that guy’s face.”

“Yeah, I wanted to stun him. It’s an useful little trick.”

Bruce simply nodded, but continued to look at him. Jeremiah grinned slightly at his concern:

“I’m fine. How about we grab something to eat? I got some extra cash.”

“From where?”

“Well, while you were beating that guy into pulp, my hand might have accidentally slipped in one of the guy’s pocket while he was trying to wake up. Oops.”

He showed them some bucks, there wasn’t much, but enough to get something to eat indeed. Bruce was a bit taken aback, he didn’t think Jeremiah would do something like this. Jerome laughed however: “Okay, brother, for once I have to give you kudos! And you dare to act like an innocent pup after something like that!”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes and looked at Bruce instead: “I know it’s not good but those guys were no good either. Now they’ll know what it’s like to have their money stolen.”

“You kinda remind me of someone,” the boy said, thinking of Selina.

**O o O**

**Present**

Pain in his head was the first thing Bruce felt when he woke up. He was also nauseous and his head was aching. But no wonder his head was aching, there were loud noises out there! People were laughing, cackling and all…Where was he? He fluttered his eyes open and saw he was in a vehicule. Disoriented, he shifted to look around and realized he was in a van, and the doors were open. People with weird eccentric clothes and haircuts were gathered in a circle, cheering for something or someone…Then, he remembered: the Gala…Jerome…Oh God!

 

“Hey! He is awake!” Someone yelled.

 

Bruce stilled and saw Jerme appearing in the frame of the van. He smirked in a sick way and grabbed Bruce by the hair, earning a yelp from the boy. He pulled on it, forcing the boy out and on his feet. He pushed him to stand in the circle drawn by the people surrounding them.

 

“There he is! Finally awake! I want you to meet my followers! The people who decided to be free!”

 

They all acclaimed at that. Bruce looked around, he remembered that, they spoke of it on the news…Jerome took out a knife and advanced toward Bruce with a dark expression. The followers grew quieter, watching the scene with expectation. The boy tensed.

 

“My little traitor…It’s been such a long time I wanted to get you back! How about I put a final point to this and kill you?”

 

Cheers of encouragement followed those words as Jerome approached the knife from Bruce’s neck. The boy was deadly scared once more. Then he remembered what Jeremiah said: he still knew him. Trying to swallow his fear, Bruce looked at him right in the eyes with a defiant look.

 

“You’re not going to kill me,” he declared.

 

“No? You bet on that?”

 

The assembly was almost silent and Bruce continued to stare at his captor. Jerome had always liked him for his daring behavior…He slowly threw his head back, exposing his neck which was already slightly cut: “Go ahead.”

 

Smiling with excitement, Jerome slowly turned around him, making the blade graze his skin without cutting and stopped behind him: “And what makes you believe I won’t kill you?”

 

“I know you, Jerome. You might deny it, but I do. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it on stage, before the cameras, under the spotlight and the cops’ eyes. After all that, taking me away and escaping like this, well…It would feel…”

 

“What? Anticlimatic?”

 

“Yeah. It would fell flat. And you’re perfectly aware of that.”

 

A laughter echoed: “Ah too bad! That guy knows me too well. Indeed, I wanted to scare you but it seems that prank didn’t work. I’m not gonna kill you.”

 

Some noises of deception echoed and Jerome shushed them:

 

“Hush!” He turned back to Bruce: “No, you’re too important, after all, you’re my very first friend, and the first person who estimated me. Hell, you’re the first person who offered me a birthday gift!”

 

His followers who were usually so loud stopped their cacklers and listened with attention. Anything about their leader, their star, was interesting to learn.

 

“Do you remember the first time we met? Do you?” Asked the psycho.

 

“Of course I do…”

 

“What happened? Go ahead and tell for the audience!”

 

Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat: “It was after the show, you were taking care of the snakes…I went to you. I…I told you that you had to be fearless to touch them like that. You told me that it was like a game to you. You let me hold one and showed the others. You told me that I could see more if I came back tomorrow and I asked you if you’d teach me a thing or two.”

 

“And you came back. I taught you more than that with time.”

 

Bruce rolled his eyes and listed. It felt awkward, but that’s what Jerome wanted. “How to handle snakes, how to throw knives, to pick locks, you also helped me to improve at fighting...And to handle my fears.”

 

Jerome grinned joyfully and nodded at the young boy.

 

“Exactly!” He spoke for everyone: “You see, talent is rarely recognized right away. All my life, people treated me like scum, just like a lot of you!” A wave of approval followed those words: “I was treated as if I would be nothing. I was in the shadows…And I’m not made for that, I’m a showman.” He turned back to Bruce: “Then you came. _You_ looked up to me, you showed me respect. It didn’t matter to you that people elevated you to the Golden Boy status. You didn’t care, because you could still see that _I_ could guide you…Deep down, you felt what I truly was. You told me you believed in me. You were the very first one.”

 

If Bruce didn’t have his eyes on Jerome, he might have noticed that the cultists were already starting to look at him differently. Jerome went on: “And for that I was grateful, I still am. I felt a bit like a big brother toward you. But then...Then you got scared and you allowed Jeremiah to take you away from me!”

 

His voice was suddenly angry, and Bruce felt scared, it felt just like that day…He shook his head: “I didn’t…”

 

“But you see, Bruce, I won’t do the same! I’m not turning my back on you. You made a mistake, but every kids makes mistakes, you were like…Twelve? You were influenced, after all they raised you to be the perfect boy….but that’s not who you are.”

 

“Because you know who I am?”

 

“Oh I do. I saw you fighting …We both saw what’s really inside of you; this fire and this violence, I saw it. You were raised to be like the sheep but deep down you’re not. You’re a wolf, just like us!”

 

Suddenly, Jerome grabbed his black bow and ripped it away from his chest. The boy was startled at this: “And it’s time that I guide you properly and take off that little sheep skin off of you.” He poured some alcohol on the bow and applauds followed when Jerome lit the piece of cloth in front of everyone. Bruce felt uneasy, it was only his bow, yet he felt as if he was being hurt.

 

“We’ll get you other clothes, this stupid suit isn’t like you at all. And actually, I would need to get another set of clothes as well, that black outfit is boring! What do you think about it, psychos?! Let’s all go shopping, grab things for everyone!”

 

They all ran outside with shrieks and yells of crazy joy.

 

“Oh, but wait! We almost forgot! Dwight!”

 

A man with dark hair and a grey coat advanced, smiling in gleeful madness and fidgeting like a kid about to open a christmas present.

 

“How about we show everyone what we prepared?”

 

“Here it is!” The man handed Jerome something. “I hope it will be as great as we planned!”

 

“Anything that ends with a BOUM is great!”

 

AT this moment, Bruce’s eyes widened as he saw what Jerome was holding: a detonator. Without thinking he jumped to grab the device but Jerome roughly pushed him away. Two men grabbed the boy by the arms. Jerome tsked: “Brucie, don’t be so eager! After all, good entertainment depends on timeline!”

 

He turned to the psychos: “Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for your entertainment, we offer you the beginning of chaos!”

 

He pressed the button and the sound of an explosion was heard from afar. Bruce saw a building crumbling. This was maybe one of the most horrific things he ever saw…Screams and tears, he could feel those more than hear those. Jerome…How many people did he just killed? As if it symbolized the number of dead people, a part of the city was suddenly in the black out. Bruce could see the lights turned off in a matter of seconds. Applauds, cheers and shrieks followed this, they were jumping around and dancing as if it was nothing but an exciting entertainment!

 

Jerome gave the device back to Dwight and went to Bruce, smiling like a Cheshire cat. He took his chin to make him look at him: “See? That’s what I said on TV, it’s only beginning. Watch, Bruce, I don’t want you to miss this!”

 

“You’re crazy!”

 

“Who? Me?! The voices in my head disagree with you!”

 

The people holding Bruce laughed and Jerome looked at everything with exhilarating look. That’s what he wanted, that’s what he craved! He called The Psychos once again, reminding them they had to go shopping. They all went excitedly, happy to spread even more chaos. Jerome took Bruce’s arm and forced him to follow them.

 

**O o O**

 

The bomb exploding had put a part of the city in the blackout. The police was submerged with calls, and in the middle of that, Gordon, Bullock and a few cops were still trying to know what became of Jerome and Bruce Wayne. They couldn’t know that the boy was currently in a mall, where a bunch of psychos were turning things upside down and terrorizing or killing people. Those unlucky victims had initially wanted to leave the mall after the explosion, but an arrival of terrorists had stopped them.

 

Jerome was leading the carnage but he was never far away from Bruce who was in a cloth shop, where he had to choose a new outift. He tried to put up resistance at first, but Jerome told him he would cut off the saleswoman’s throat otherwise. The poor girl was tied to a chair and crying with two psychos watching her. Bruce quickly chose something; he couldn’t help but remember the time he and Selina ran away. When she brought him to that underground store and told him he looked badass in his new clothes. He still couldn’t say whether or not she meant it…He chose dark and basic clothes, nothing which would make him look like a rich boy nor a psycho. He had put on the pants and he was taking off his shirt to put on to black tee-shirt when Jerome suddenly appeared before him. He had a sick smile plastered on his face and Bruce felt uneasy. He hurriedly put on the tee-shirt and the sweater-vest he had chosen.

 

“Not very original…But you still look much better like this, Bruce…” He passed a hand through the boy’s hair and messed it a bit. “Much better.”

 

He took his chin and looked at him almost longingly. Bruce swatted his hand away: “Stop it.”

 

“Don’t worry, everything will go just fine.” Those words were absolutely not reassuring, and both of them knew it. “You took only that?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Bruce, you’re not going back to that stupid manor. I advise you to take some spare.”

 

The advice sounded extremely strange in Jerome’s mouth, and in that situation. Yet it showed that his captor really meant it when he said he didn’t want to kill him, otherwise he wouldn’t have given him such instructions. He quickly picked some things and put those in a bag he also took in the store.

 

“Good, I must say I picked up a few things for myself. That kind of suit isn’t like me either. I need something more colorful.”

 

Jerome pulled him by the arm again and called two of his followers: “Guys! Let’s take that weepy thing out of here!” He pointed to the saleswoman and the two guys happily untied her only to force her to walk with them. Bruce struggled against Jerome’s hold: “Stop that! You said you would let her live!” Jerome tsked: “No, I said I wouldn’t cut her throat. But we’ll see that…More good behavior and I might let her go alive and well. That actually gives me an idea.”

 

He and his men went to the center of the shop, Jerome as still holding Bruce while the two other guys were bringing the saleswoman. Though he didn’t call the rest of the crowd, they came by themselves, sensing there was something going on.

 

“You know Brucie, if we have to educate you and guide you, then there is one important lesson you need to learn: not everything can be obtained just by asking it. That was maybe the case in your Richie little world, but not here! You want that woman to live? Well, you’ll have to earn it.”

 

“And what do I have to do?”

 

“You could entertain us. We are never tired of entertainment! How about a good old fight? A wrestle, like gladiators in the arena! And if you win, Brucie, you can get your little prize!”

 

The few who weren’t around already approached, appealed by the mention of a fight. Jerome took a fake and mocking ceremonial tone: “Ladies and gentlemen, Brucie here want to champion for that…Whoever this is, I don’t care!” Laughters followed. “Now, who will champion for our _noble cause_?”

 

“How about you fight me yourself?! Are you scared?” Bruce taunted angrily.

 

“Oh, Bruce, you’re burning the steps. I’m your guide; We will fight one day, but it’s too soon! You’re killing the build-up! Hey, you here!”

 

He pointed to a guy who was a bit older than Bruce, bigger and taller as well. Bruce did his best not to show his fear. He looked at the girl. She was around eighteen, an adult for him, and yet her life was in his hands. She looked at him pleadingly, despair and fear evident in her eyes. The big boy approached, he was wearing clownish make up and punk clothes just like the rest of them. He was smiling with delight, and Bruce knew he was happy to beat him up.

 

“And begin!”

 

Bruce got on guard while the big guy rushed toward him. Bruce dodged the first blow and punched him. The guy threw a punch and hit Bruce on the cheek. _Wait for him to wear out._ Bruce dodged and blocked a few other blows. A punch got him in the stomach. Pain spread through him and the cheers and loud yells made by the crowd seemed deafening. His breath was cut out and he backed away into the human ring. He was pushed again toward his adversary who grabbed his shoulders and tried to throw him down when Bruce spat on his face. The guy was stunned and Bruce punched him again then kicked him. The guy was red, his eyes were burning with rage. He threw himself at Bruce again and when the boy tried to punch him again, he grabbed his arm. A hard jab in the rib made Bruce yell in pain. He then pushed the Bruce down as if he weighted nothing and kicked him hard in the stomach. Bruce let out a strangled yelp. He got another one and the guy took him by the collar to get him up. In an instant, he saw Jerome standing beside the hostage. He couldn’t let that happen!

 

The big guy was about to punch him against but Bruce hit him first with his forehead. The guy’s head went backward and Bruce punched him between the ribs and sent his elbow in his throat. The guy chocked and held his neck. Ignoring the pain, Bruce kicked him again in the stomach and the guy lost balance. He knew it was the moment. He threw himself down at him and started to punch his face. The guy tried to grab and reverse the position but Bruce hit him harder and faster, his body was crying in pain but he didn’t stop, he had to get him down, he would make him pay! He would make them all pay! He would…Bruce stopped all of sudden he realized his enemy was unconscious. He could have killed him if he had continued…

 

Suddenly a hand grabbed his collar and before he could react a knife was pressed against his neck. Bruce got up on his feet without struggling, he felt suddenly very light headed. A laughter echoed in his ear. “Well, it seems we have a winner!” Applauds, cheers and disappointed whims all mixed up followed those words. Bruce blinked as he was going out of a daze. He saw his opponent unconscious on the floor. Some of the followers were obviously disappointed that he won, but a lot of them were…impressed. They looked at him in awe, as if they couldn’t believe it.

 

Suddenly, he was spun round and he saw Jerome facing him. He took his face in his hands and looked at him, a maniacal glee in his eyes: “See! That’s what you are! That’s what I wanted to see! That’s who you truly are, Bruce Wayne!”

 

Bruce pushed his hands away and felt dizzy as the ruckus intensified. He felt light and in pain and his legs were trembling. “You used Jeremiah’s dirty trick, I see. It’s fine with me, I have nothing against tricks.” Jerome held him by the shoulder and turned to the woman: “My words mean something. Free her!”

 

They untied her and she stood up on shaking legs, still crying and unable to say a word. Jerome just smirked to her: “You’re lucky. But if you don’t want me to change my mind, you’ll have to be useful to us: tell everybody what happened here. Everything! Tell everyone how the psychos did this! And tell everyone how their golden prince really is inside. Got it?!”

 

“I…I swear…”

 

“Good. Get out of my sight!”

 

She ran away and Bruce breathed out in relief. At least one person could be saved. But when he looked around, he saw other corpses. People he couldn’t have saved…People he didn’t save…Jerome whispered at his ear: “That was good, Brucie…We’ll do that kind of game again…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, the game between Bruce and Jerome is beggining! Don't hesitate to comment!


	5. Escape Artist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you'll like this chapter, I really like it, prepare yourself for some serious creepiness!

**Past**

Bruce knew the Valeska twins since more than a year now. The circus had exceptionally stayed in town because of several accidents which stopped them from going on a tour. It had allowed Bruce to see the two brothers on a regular basis. He had learned several things: how their mother and their uncle obviously preferred Jeremiah over Jerome and that the brothers didn’t really love each other. He could see there was mostly coldness and spite between them. It was sad and sometimes it was making feel uncomfortable. Yet things had never gone worse than snarky comments and cold behaviors, and Bruce had been able to keep his friendship with both of them.

One day, everything changed.

When he came to visit the brothers, he found Jerome beating Jeremiah into pulp. The nerdy boy was on the ground, trying feebly to stop his brother from hurting him any further and Jerome was punching him, laughing maniacally in the process.

“Jerome!”

He threw himself at them and tried to pull Jerome away, Jeremiah’s face was already bleeding profusely and he wasn’t moving anymore.

“Stop that!”

He slapped Jerome hard and this was enough to call him back to reality. Bruce pushed him with all his strength and leaned over Jeremiah who was on the verge of passing out.

“Jeremiah! Hey, it’s Bruce, can you hear me?!”

He had his eyes open, but no answer came from him; Bruce heard a sinister laugh. He looked up at Jerome and was frozen at his sight. He looked demented, his eyes full of delighted cruelty, his smirk wide, ferocious and animalistic. It was even worse than this day when they fought thugs…Jerome seized Bruce by the collar and forced him back on his feet.

“You’re defending him?! You hit me because of him?!”

He didn’t care that Bruce hit him, they had fought in the past to train and play, but the boy had no right to slap him for his brother! Bruce pushed him away and Jerome punched him. Bruce was stunned by the sudden blow; he was thrown on the ground and Jerome straddled him. Bruce punched him as well strongly and when Jerome tried to grab his wrists, he sent his forehead up. Jerome’s head snapped slightly and Bruce punched him in the stomach and pushed him to the ground.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What’s wrong with me?! Nothing’s wrong with me! Ask that fucker what is wrong!”

“JEREMIAH!”

Both boys were stunned by the sudden voice. They both turned to see the boys’ uncle, Zack. They both shivered, even Bruce. He had already met Zack in the past, he hated the man and feared him as well. Their uncle leaned over his beaten nephew. Jerome got away and Bruce started to walk toward Jeremiah who was still on the ground, when Zack slapped him hard:

“The fuck have you been doing?!”

“Nothing! I tried to help him!”

“Get the hell away from my nephew!”

Bruce backed away, other people came around to see what was happening and the dark-haired boy watched as Jeremiah was carried back to his caravan. The circus’s director came to Bruce: “Kid, you should go. We’ll take care of Jeremiah, okay?”

Although he wasn’t willing to leave, there was nothing he could do. He was sore and utterly upset. What the hell happened?! He ran and searched for Jerome. Where was he? He had to give him a good explanation for this! He ran through the circus, he even ran through a part of the docks, he ran like crazy, but he found the boy nowhere. At the end, he was panting and aching, mentally and physically. He kicked some big metallic boxes around, needing to let out his fury. Where was he?! What the hell was wrong with him?! Why did he act like a monster all of sudden?! He punched as well until his knuckles were bloody.

But was it so surprising? Yes. No. He had seen ho his friend liked violence in the past. But he didn’t think he would hurt Jeremiah like this.

Eventually, he went back to the caravan, Zack was still here, but Bruce came nonetheless. He was afraid, but he didn’t want to leave without knowing how Jeremiah was. When he saw Bruce, the man was about to yell at him again but the twins’ mother stopped him.

“I told you already, it’s the Wayne kid; do you really want to end up in jail?” She murmured.

Zack seemed a bit afraid at the idea and he didn’t try to attack the dark-haired boy again.

“I didn’t hurt Jeremiah. How is he?”

“He’ll be fine, he’s waking up already. Go home, now,” the woman sharply replied.

This time, the boy complied.    

He received an unexpected visit the next day. Although Bruce would often come and see them, the two brothers never stepped in the manor. Their mother forbad it, fearing that they could do something bad and having someone very rich angry at her. Anyway, neither of the brothers ever asked that. Jeremiah was too polite, as for Jerome, it didn’t seem to interest him. That was maybe the reason why Bruce was very surprised when he saw Jeremiah standing at his door. His face was badly bruised, making Bruce shiver.

“Hey! How are you? I was worried for you”

“Hum…I’m not really good. Can I speak to you?”

Bruce nodded. After having him sit in the living room and propose him something to drink, the boy listened to what he had to say. Alfred was here as well, Bruce had told him what happened.

“I wanted to thank you, for helping me,” the redhead said. “I’m also sorry for uncle Zack.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. What happened?”

“Jerome and I argued, and as often, he used violence.”

“It’s not the first time he does this?” Asked the butler gently.

“No, far from it. He hadn’t done it since a long time, but I guess some habits die hard.”

Bruce didn’t whether or not he should be surprised. He had thought of what happened all night, thinking of every moments Jerome acted weird, and now that he thought about it, there had been a lot. Had he been blinded by his friendship?!

“He wouldn’t do that much around you,” Jeremiah continued, “but believe me; he had been really violent with me and other kids.”

“I didn’t realize…I’m sorry.”

Jeremiah smiled genuinely to him. He really liked Bruce, the kid was nice, and Jerome never deserved to have a friend like him.

“It’s alright. In fact, I didn’t come to speak about that only. Listen, yesterday, after you saw Jerome beating me, something happened. Because of that, I won’t be able to live with my mom anymore, I’ll go to boarding school.”

“What else happened?” Asked Alfred because Bruce was too breath-taken to speak.

“…Jerome tried to set my bed on fire last night.”

Bruce’s eyes widened at this: “You’re serious?!”

“Sadly, yes.”

This was like a big slap in Bruce’s face. Jerome couldn’t do that, could he?! Yet the faith he had in his friend was already crumbling. He had seen Jerome beating his brother, didn’t he? He saw everything he did in the past, he knew Jerome hated his family, he told him once…He should have seen it coming...But the redhead had always been nice to him…He had been there when Bruce had felt alone.

“Why? Why would he do that?”

“He was angry and jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Because you were my friend as well.”

Bruce gaped at this. “It’s my fault?”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying, he would have done something to me one day or another. All of that is his fault only.”

Yet Bruce couldn’t help but feel guilty, guilty for not seeing it coming, for putting such a mess in Jeremiah’s life and for trusting someone bad. He also felt betrayed, incredibly betrayed and angry. Jerome…He felt as if he lied to him, hid his face behind a mask and deceived him! Jeremiah spoke once more:

 

“I’ll tell you where I’ll live, you mustn’t tell my brother. I just don’t want us to stop being friends because of him.”

 

Bruce nodded. Of course he wanted them to be friends; he didn’t want to lose someone else. Jerome…Why?

**O o O**

 

**Present**

 

The psychos just broke into a small building. It was located in the area where the bomb exploded, with all the panic which reigned and the complete darkness; it was plunged in the chaos. And in the middle of this chaos, the inhabitants of the building were getting killed by the psychos. Some tried to call the cops, but the cops already had their hands full trying to contain the panic and the crime wave. In fact, more and more cops were getting killed. Other followers and criminals joined them, reinforcing Jerome’s power. For now, they would drink, put on loud music thanks to portable radio they stole and mess everything around. They had also stolen some torch light and other lamps to keep some lights through the darkness. It was a feast for them, their leader was with them, they put complete chaos in Gotham and they were mocking the police.

 

Bruce had ended on a couch, in a flat Jerome set his eyes on and he was incredibly tired. His face, ribs and stomach hurt, he got a headache and dried blood on his face. Around him, the followers were all partying, but none of them dared to touch him. They understood that he was Jerome’s, or maybe they were simply not interested in him. That’s what he thought until a girl sat beside him. He looked at her, she was probably Jerome’s age, she had short brown hair and a broken teeth. She looked as insane as the rest. Bruce braced himself, but he was surprised at her words:

 

“Hey! That was pretty impressive earlier!”

 

He was a bit surprised at this; she was talking about the fight, surely, but he didn’t think one of Jerome’s followers would say that to him. She handed him a wet cloth and he looked at it suspiciously. She laughed:

 

“It’s only water. I can’t do anything to you without Jerome’s approval. You’re his, after all. I’m Laura.”

 

Bruce was about to say he didn’t belong to Jerome but stopped himself. There was no way he could convince anyone here of that, plus it gave him some protection from them. Instead he just applied the cloth against his skin. It felt good, and he thanked the girl.

 

Another guy, a young adult, came at their side and asked Bruce: “How did you beat him? He was way bigger than you!”

 

“I was taught how to fight.”

 

“But that’s not all. Jerome says it’s thanks to that violence in you. I think he is right, don’t you Casey?” Asked the girl.

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

“Yeah, I expected you to agree with Jerome,” Bruce hissed. “But it’s not true, I’m not like that.”

 

“Come on, you have to accept it. It’s how you are. Why giving all of yourself to a society which just have fake, useless and hypocritical rules?”

 

“Some rules are important.”

 

“Please! That’s all nonsense! They tell you not to kill, but do you know how many people are sent to their own death by our government? How many of them are made sick? And come on, aren’t you tired of that tight little box you have to fit in?! Rich society is probably the worst when it comes to hypocrisy. Don’t you want to be free?”

 

“She is right, you know,” the older guy named Casey said. “I used to work for rich spoiled people, I know them. They’re hardly able to put on their goddamn shoes by themselves. You seem different. Just let Jerome show you.”

 

“I don’t need to kill people to be free.”

 

“You won’t convince him so easily. He’s stubborn,” said Jerome while sitting between Bruce and Laura.

 

“I can see it,” she said while shifting to make place for her leader. “He needs to learn more. And he also has to be taught how to dress, that style is a bit boring.”

 

“Thank you! That’s also what I was thinking! See, Brucie, the lady thinks you should add more personality to your wardrobe.”

 

“I like it like that.”

 

“Kids and their attitude! But I guess you’re moody because you’re tired,” he taunted, as if he speaking to an overgrown infant. Bruce glared at him while the two others were laughing.

 

“Hey, Boss, look!”

 

Someone had stolen a portable television, which allowed them to watch TV even without electricity. They turned it on and they watched the news. They were speaking of the maniacs’s crimes and they all watched in glee as they spoke about the events of the Gala, about the killing of Theo Galavan and Barbara Kean, and Bruce’s kidnapping.

 

“That’s your moment of glory, boy!”

 

The cultists continued to smoke and drink while watching the news. Jerome was enjoying this very much, especially the images of him dragging Bruce away and leaving. Bruce sighed and asked:

 

“What are you gonna do next?”

 

“Well, we got rid of Galavan, so we are all free to do as we wish. By the way, it’s a good thing for you that I killed him.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because he planned to kill you!”

 

He laughed at the surprised and confused look that his ‘friend’ gave. “You didn’t know that, but it’s him who made me and the others escape. He wanted us to work for him by putting chaos in the city.”

 

“Given how much you love authority, I’m surprised you actually lasted more than a minute.”

 

Jerome huffed at this: “I kind of surprised myself too, but he had cool stuff, weapons I had never touched before. And he was giving me a way to approach you. I think his plan was to save you from me and get close to you to get your money and kill you then. But it didn’t go as he planned,” he claimed with a laugh.

 

Bruce couldn’t believe it. That man went in his house, he gave him a speech to stand against terror, but in reality, he was trying to kill him! He felt absolutely disgusted. But was Jerome really saying the truth? He wondered.

 

“Are you seriously saying that you saved my life?”

 

“I did. You’re mine, I’m the one who decide when you’ll die. Galavan had no right on you.”

 

This made Bruce really uneasy. He tried to think of something else to say, anything.

 

“Why did you kill the blond woman? Barbara?”

 

“Oh, she was getting on my nerve, always speaking about Gordon. I also wanted to see how he and that chick on the wheel would react. Good people and their stupid morals! She’ll probably thinks that I did it to save her and reproach herself what happened or some shit like that! It would be funny to know what’s in her head right now! I could have killed her too, but I have a thing for brunets.”

 

With that, he ruffled Bruce’s hair in a brotherly way, but the boy swatted his hand away.

 

“Geez, touchy.”

 

Bruce didn’t answer. Jerome’s proximity and touch was making him uncomfortable, he was thinking of the last time he saw Jerome, before the redhead killed his mother. That day he couldn’t forget…

 

**O o O**

**Past**

 

Bruce was walking back home, that was part of his training, Alfred even told him he expected him to run, but after a while, he started to get tired. He needed to train, he knew it, but he didn’t want to run, he wanted to fight! He wanted to punch and kick, even if it was only a punching bag, he didn’t care. Jerome…The redhead used to be his friend, hell, he could have called him his best friend! But things had changed.

 

He had seen Jerome the other day.

 

The redhead had waited for him near his school, and it had been the occasion to confront him. When Bruce had accused him of trying to burn Jeremiah, the redhead had been furious; accusing him to be like is mother and uncle. When Bruce had angrily retorted that he was a bully toward his brother, Jerome had slapped him hard before threatening him: _You’re mine, you’ll regret it if you forget that!_  

 

Mine…Those words had stunned him.

 

Someone had approached to see what was going on and Jerome had left, probably because he knew he would get in trouble otherwise. _Mine_. Jerome considered him as some kind of possession? It had felt so wrong, so out of place! What was Jerome even thinking? It had disturbed him much more than the slap.

 

That happened three days ago, and he was still shaken. He was thinking about it, when suddenly, he saw a flash of red hair. He stopped in his tracks, and saw Jerome at the other side of the street, crossing to be at his level. What the hell was he doing here?

 

“Finally, I got you!”

 

“Leave me alone.”

 

“Oh, you’re mad, Brucie?”

 

“I have nothing to say to you,” Bruce spat while stepping aside to leave.

 

Jerome was at Bruce’s level soon, he gripped his wrist tightly, and pulled him forcefully in a deserted alley. Bruce tried to struggle but Jerome pushed him further.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!”

 

“I should be the one wondering that, don’t you think, Brucie?!”

 

The boy shook his head and tried to go away once more, but Jerome violently grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall hard. The boy yelped both in fright and in pain.

 

“Don’t walk away from me! What happened to little Bruce who absolutely wanted to help me? Who said he was my friend? You’re gonna let me down too?”

 

Anger replaced the fear. “And what happened to the Jerome who didn’t beat up his brother? Or didn’t try to set his bed on fire? To the Jerome who wouldn’t threaten me?”

 

“You believe him, uh? Of course you do! Little Jeremiah, so reassuring, so ‘normal’! He is a liar, and he is crazy as I am, Bruce!”

 

“He didn’t hurt anyone! You did! How could you…”

 

“STOP!” He yelled while squeezing his shoulders tighter. “Stop, talking like them! You’re not like them, Bruce! You try to act like you were, you want to be, because it feels easier, but face it: deep down, you’re like me!”

 

“I’m not!”

 

“You enjoyed beating that kid! Remember? That bully you punched until he was bleeding? Same with those thugs we met! You liked to beat the shit out of them!”

 

He approached his face while saying that, and felt a new want toward the young boy. It wasn’t entirely new, actually, he had felt it when Bruce fought against him to defend Jeremiah. Somehow, having Bruce struggling was making feel in a strange way.

 

“It’s not the same. I wouldn’t attack someone innocent!”

 

Jerome just laughed like crazy at that: “Innocent? You’re cute, Brucie! There is no one innocent. People, with their little morals, I can guarantee you that they’re ready to let those drop whenever they face any hardship! It means nothing; it’s just one big joke! Just like family and all those stupid things we’re obliged to put up with!”

 

Bruce just pushed away to free himself from his hold but Jerome caught him back. The boy struggled, and this enticed Jerome furthermore. He strongly pushed Bruce against the wall again. He gripped both of his wrists. Before the boy could struggle again, Jerome leaned way too closely. In an instant, horror appeared in Bruce’s eyes. He felt the tension, and understood what was going to happen. Jerome crashed his lips against his. Bruce just had the time to close his mouth. Jerome was trying to kiss him! _No!_ He tried to push him away but failed. So instead, he forced himself to open his mouth. Before Jerome could kiss him further, Bruce bit his lip strongly. The taste of blood sent a wave of adrenaline in him.

 

Jerome pulled away with a yelp of pain. Bruce didn’t lose the occasion. He pushed him again and kicked him in the shin before running away. Jerome tried to grab him once more but the boy ran fast and reached the streets. Bruce kept running even once he was sure Jerome wouldn’t follow him anymore. He ran and ran, faster than ever. What the hell just happened! Jerome was fifteen while he was only twelve! He had to be sick! He fought against the tears so Alfred wouldn’t ask any questions, he didn’t want to talk about that, ever. He only cried when he was in his room, alone.

 

After Bruce’s departure, the redhead had just sighed and leaned against the wall. His lip was bleeding but he felt good. He smirked in glee, it had been nice to kiss his funny little friend! Bruce had a bit, literally! That night, he got out in town. Finding another guy hadn’t been that hard, a pretty dark-haired one. He enjoyed it, he had already been with a girl once, and he discovered boys could feel good as well. He wondered how it would feel with Bruce. He didn’t really wonder whether or not Bruce was too young. He knew his mother or his uncle would call him a pervert, even if they were only three years apart. It didn’t matter to him. It only depended on him and Bruce in the end.

 

He came home only in the morning, and his mother took that excuse to hit him, even though she would spend her night out and fuck around almost every time. That was this morning he decided he really had enough and that the nagging whore would go soon.

 

**O o O**

**Present**

Bruce was scared.

He was Jerome’s prisoner, what if the redhead decided to get what Bruce had refused to give in the past?

He remembered how he had felt after Jerome’s attempt: dirty, soiled, and disgusted by his own weakness. He had trained like crazy to evacuate the anger, the deception and the shame. That was one of the reasons why he progressed hugely at fighting. But what was the point now? With one knife, Jerome had held him hostage and dragged him into this! Thankfully, he was alone right now. Jerome had put him in a bedroom, the door was locked and his hands tied. The psycho was partying with his followers for now. He had instructed him to rest, but Bruce had other plans in mind.

He managed to twist his wrists as much as possible and loosened those after some times. He had trained to do that, and he was thankful for it. His wrists ached but it was worth it! He silently got off the bed and went to the window immediately. The streets were deserted, and sadly, he could see no staircase around to get down. He listened to the sounds. He could hear the psychos, they invaded the entire building and right now they didn’t seem to be so close. He put his ear on the door and listened. He couldn’t hear any close sound. Maybe they went to pursue other people somewhere else in the building…He looked at the door. It wouldn’t be that hard to pick it. Funny, it was Jerome who taught him that once…

He tried to push the memory away and focused. He needed to find something metallic…He didn’t who owned this room, probably a teenage girl, there was desk. He found paper clips and managed something with it. He kept listening carefully to make sure no one was close enough. He eventually felt the click and the door opened. He carefully pulled it and took a cautious look at the corridor. He wasn’t that far from the front door…

He heard a sound of broken glass. He jumped in fright. Someone was in the kitchen…He looked around again. There was a person in the flat but they hadn’t noticed Bruce. The boy pushed the door open. One last look and he was sure no one was in sight.

He just had to reach the front door…No one was on his way! He rushed as silently as possible, he was stealthy enough for that. Just a few steps, keep your head low…Another few steps…His hands reached the door. He threw one look behind, no one had seen him! He started to open the door when a hand grabbed his vest.

“Dafuq are you doing?”

He saw a teenager behind him, obviously drunk. Immediately, he punched the guy as hard as he could. The guy was on the ground immediately, the alcohol making him fall as much as the blow. He opened the door and heard someone running behind him.

“HE IS ESCAPING! JEROME!”

Hell! Yells echoed as he rushed through the stairs. He ran like crazy, he had to! He had descended one floor, the second had to follow, if he could make two more…

Suddenly a weight hit his back. He fell through a few steps and he fell against the wall facing him. He yelled in pain, his vision spun. He tried to stand again, when a hand grabbed his jacket. Another grabbed his hair and pulled violently. Bruce cried out and tried to unclasp the hand gripping his scalp.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Jerome! He struggled and tried to hit him, sending his elbow, his fists, and his legs. Jerome managed to press the boy’s back against his chest and to circle his torso and arms so tightly that Bruce could hardly move. The captive tried to kick but someone sent his fist in the boy’s chest. His breath was cut off, and a knife was held right before his face. One of the followers was threatening him while Jerome was holding him. It was a tall and big man.

“Careful, otherwise, I ask Derek here to damage your pretty face! You don’t need two eyes, don’t you?!”

Bruce stopped struggling, he was now surrounded and he didn’t want to lose an eye. Jerome dragged him back and angrily pushed him into a chair. He barked to some of his people to get him ropes or tape. After tying Bruce tightly to the chair, he told them to get out. The young boy was scared as hell, he was trembling; he knew he had to be brave but he couldn’t stop himself! He was scared, he couldn’t move and he was with a true madman! What was he thinking?! As if he could have got out like this! Jerome grabbed his neck just beneath his chin to make him look at him. At the pressure, cold sweat ran through Bruce’s back.

“That was mean of you to try to escape like that, Brucie. After all I did to save you and get you back! That’s really a spoiled-child behavior!”

“Let me go!” He wished he sounded brave. But instead, it came out as desperate.

Jerome laughed nastily at this. His friend could be tough, but it was funny to scare him! And he wanted that for now, he wanted to see Bruce afraid and suffering.

“Oh no! You’ll spend you night in this chair as a punishment, got it? I was kind enough to let you stay in a bed but you were ungrateful.”

With that, he released his neck and slapped him hard. The kid needed some discipline. The redhead leaned down toward him, his face threatening. “You’re gonna do what I say, Bruce. Got it?”

The boy looked up at him, and though he was still afraid, some defiance appeared: “No.”

“Maybe you lost all sense of obedience when you lost your parents, after all…”

He was cut off as he suddenly saw Bruce throwing his head forward and felt something wet landing on his lips. Some of it even went in his mouth. Bruce just spat on his face…The dark-haired boy expected him to beat him after that, but Jerome had no right to speak of his parents! He braced himself for the blows, but nothing came. Instead, Jerome tasted what landed in his mouth and slowly wiped what remained on his lips with two fingers with a sick grin.

“That felt strangely good…”

With that, he licked his fingers clean slowly. Bruce’s face twitched in disgust; this was enough to make his stomach roll. Jerome smirked in a sick way: “Do it again!”

“Go to hell!”

“We’re already in hell, and I’m the boss.”

He approached his face too closely and Bruce recoiled his head as much as he could. He could feel the redhead’s breath grazing his tightly shut lips. He couldn’t help but close his eyes. He feared this much more than any blow. Their noses were touching.

“Do you understand, Bruce?”

The boy just nodded slightly, hoping Jerome would get away. Jerome smirked and finally backed away. Bruce sighed in relief. He tried to undo his bonds but this time, he was unsuccessful. He eventually felt exhausted and he closed his eyes without realizing it.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hesitate to comment!


	6. Backstage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! Sixth chapter is here! Hope you'll enjoy it!

**Present**

 

Jim was already feeling tormented before the Gala, he didn’t think it could get worse. He was wrong; things were way worse, now! Bruce…He couldn’t forget his scared face while Jerome was holding him under the threat of a knife.

 

Alfred Pennyworth was as restless as he was. He felt so guilty he could scream; what would Bruce’s parents say if they had seen this? They had trusted him to raise their son in case something happened to them, and he failed to protect him! But more importantly, he failed Bruce. What was happening to him right now?! What was Jerome doing to him?! Was he still alive?

 

Things were absolutely chaotic.  Big part of the city was still in the blackout and criminal activity had reached its peak. Criminals of all sorts would take advantage of this, panicked people would leave their homes and run everywhere in the streets where light remained. Even cops were getting attacked. Yet even in all this chaos, they managed to have something. A Mall had been attacked and a witness managed to come back from it. Her story caught everyone’s attention. She told them how Jerome and his followers raided the stores and especially how Bruce Wayne had been challenged to fight for her life. Jim, Gordon and Bullock were listening to her.

 

“I was so scared, They threatened to kill me all the time! I was sure the kid would lose and that they would kill me! Thank God, he won.”

 

“So, Jerome freed you?” Asked Bullock in disbelief.

 

“Yeah, he said that his word had a meaning. He also told me to tell everyone how the golden prince of Gotham really is. What is he doing with them?”

 

“He is an hostage, apparently. Seems like Jerome Valeska wants to play with him. Do you know where they went?”

 

“No, but I hope you’ll find him. He saved my life…”

 

In spite of all his fear and guilt, Alfred couldn’t help but feel proud of his boy. He had managed to save this girl from those psychos. And he was alive! They still had a chance to get him back alive! Let’s hope nothing wrong would happen, that Jerome wouldn’t change his mind and kill him. He knew how cruel the boy could be. Once the interview was over, Jim, Bullock and even Alfred went in the devastated Mall with the SWAT. They doubted Jerome was still here, yet they couldn’t waste that chance. As they predicted, the building was empty, except for the corpse lying around. They didn’t know how many people got killed, but Lord, it was a massacre! The girl had been really lucky.

 

They looked at the security camera to see what happened and they saw the events. It was weird, why did Jerome force Bruce to change his clothes? Then, they saw the fight. It felt incredibly painful somehow to watch Bruce fighting against the bigger boy, and knowing they weren’t able to do anything anymore for him. But he put up a good fight; that was reassuring to know he wasn’t completely defenseless. Alfred prayed Bruce wouldn’t make a mistake. The boy could be reckless, and even though Alfred trained him, he was still thirteen. It would be easy to panic in such a situation. He turned to Gordon:

 

“Maybe we should see if Jeremiah Valeska is still fine. His brother never liked the boy, I remember…”

 

“Wait, who?”

 

Alfred looked at them in disbelief.

 

“Jerome’s twin brother, Jeremiah. You didn’t know about him?

 

Gordon and Bullock looked at each other. Jerome had a brother? It was really soon in the morning when they found Jeremiah. Alfred had explained them what happened to Jeremiah and how this stopped Bruce’s friendship with Jerome. He was living in the school almost permanently. Jeremiah wasn’t really surprised by their visit; he was a bit more astonished by Alfred’s presence though.

 

“Alfred? In the news, they said that Bruce…”

 

“Your brother took him.” There was worry in his voice, but no blame; he perfectly knew Jeremiah wasn’t like Jerome.

 

“What is he gonna do with him?”

 

“Seems like he is keeping him hostage. We have to bring you somewhere safe and we also have to ask you some questions.”

 

“Okay…What do you want to know?”

 

“Could you talk to us about your brother?”

 

Jeremiah sat down and sighed: “Jerome has always been…Different. Weird. He never liked me, it often saddened me, but he was…Always doing something to disturb or to hurt people around him. He would often play mean tricks on me, sometimes he was violent.”

 

“Apparently, your brother tried to set your bed on fire.”

 

Jeremiah nodded slowly. “Yes, after beating me. I told Bruce about it and he stopped seeing Jerome after all this. I must admit it was almost a good thing, at least I went to boarding school and I was far away from him.”

 

“I recall it, we were both feeling concerned for you,” Alfred murmured gently.

 

“Your brother never acted weirdly around him, he never suspected it?”

 

Jeremiah shook his head: “He was at his best whenever he was with Bruce. At first, I thought he was trying to fool him, to hide his true nature; but the more I saw them together, the more it seemed like Bruce could channel his violence, all this madness inside him. I don’t know how he did that, but in some way, Jerome was less dangerous whenever he was with him. But whenever Bruce was gone, he would become as bad as he used to. In fact he was threatening me more often.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, he didn’t like the fact I was getting along with Bruce, he was a bit possessive. In fact I think he tried to set my bed on fire for that.”

 

“So Bruce’s friendship was really important to him.”

 

“Yes, very important. I’m not surprised Jerome is keeping him alive, but I don’t think it’s because he wants a hostage.”

 

When they were back at the station, they had to warn the cops around that it was Jeremiah Valeska and not his twin. The redhead tried to ignore the looks but he knew perfectly how people were looking at him: as if he was guilty, even though he did nothing! It had been the same in his school, once his brother had started committing crimes; others had looked at him as if he was a monster. Thank God, Jeremiah knew how to get some people devoted, and he had a few ‘friends’ who protected him. Jim spotted Lee and went to her immediately.

 

“Hey, are you okay?”

 

They took each other’s hands, it was at least one relief to know they were both safe and sound in all that chaos.

 

“I’m fine, with all the work I can hardly think of what happened anyway. And you? You still don’t know where Bruce is?”

 

“No, but we know he is still alive,” he replied gently. Her eyes went on the twin who was still trying to ignore the looks he was given. “Lee, this is Jeremiah Valeska, Jerome’s brother.”

 

“Nice to meet you, though I wish it was in other circumstances,” Jeremiah murmured; he recognized Lee as the woman on the wheel. “I’m sorry for what my brother did to you.”

 

“You’re not the one to blame, not at all,” she genuinely replied. “And it’s nice to meet you as well. Jim, I’ll go and see Essen a bit. She needs to know what’s happening.”

 

“Good idea, some company should help her. Be careful, though.”

 

She nodded and gave Jeremiah a little grin.. The redhead appreciated that, it wasn’t much, but at least she wasn’t looking at him as if he was responsible for what happened. With one last kiss, Jim and she parted; he hesitated, maybe he should go with her? The streets weren’t safe anymore…But there was a lot to do. They continued to interview Jeremiah, the boy trying to help them determine where Jerome could be, but it wasn’t really fructuous.

 

While the cops were trying to find and arrest Jerome, Tabitha Galavan was preparing herself to leave.

 

At first, when she saw that this redhead shit killed her brother and Barbara, she wanted to do nothing but go and find him to skin him alive. But then, she remembered someone who would need her: Silver.

 

Theo had taken their niece with them in order to use her in his plot against Bruce Wayne, and had her live in another flat in order not to let her around the psychos. The girl had acted as if she was ready to do anything to be in her uncle’s good graces, but Tabitha had another feeling. Sure, the kid was scared and she wanted to be on her uncle’s good side, but she wasn’t as cold-hearted as she was trying to show.

 

When she came in the flat where Silver was currently in, the girl looked at her with worry. She had hardly slept that night; but it wasn’t the first night she spent awake and worrying. It happened a lot to her since her uncle took her under his ‘care’.

 

“Aunt Tabitha…”

 

“We have to leave the city. You saw what happened?”

 

“Yeah, I watched the TV. What are we gonna do?”

 

“The plan is over, Silver. I’m not going through with it.”

 

Relief washed through the girl’s face at first. She was glad she wouldn’t have to seduce that boy as her uncle wanted to, she had no wish to do that. Yet she was worried again: if her uncle was dead and the plan was over, what would become of her?

 

“Pack your things.”

 

“Wh…Where am I going?”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you a place to live. You won’t end up in the streets. But we have to go, this city isn’t safe anymore for you.”

 

The girl just nodded. Tabitha put a hand over her shoulder softly.

 

“I know you didn’t want to do it, and you don’t have to worry: my help doesn’t necessarily come with a price.”

 

Silver couldn’t help but hug her. Tabitha awkwardly received this; It had been a while she didn’t receive a genuine, innocent hug from someone. She embraced her briefly in return. “Thank you,” murmured the girl.

 

“It’s okay. Now, go pack.”

 

It was maybe better to be away from Gotham, with Theo dead, the police might try to investigate things that shouldn’t be looked upon. She didn’t really know how she was feeling toward her brother’s death. She had loved him when they were kids, but with time, their relationship became…complicated. She was also sad for Barbara. Yet for now, Silver needed her more than the dead.

 

While the two were running away, another girl was trying to find the psychos.

 

Selina Kyle had learned very young that caring too much was a bad thing, that being alone was the best way to survive. Yet there were times she couldn’t stop herself. There were a few people that made her forget that, and Bruce Wayne was the number one. She would never admit it out loud, but it was the case. Like pretty much everyone in Gotham, she had learned what happened to him, and she had seen the blackout. Bruce…What the hell did he get into?!

 

He had told her about Jerome already, but she never met the guy. Obviously it was a good thing. Her instincts were telling her to run away. Yet for once she ignored those and she was searching instead. She was used to live in the streets; she could hear and see things cops wouldn’t. If she could reach Bruce, maybe she would be able to help him escape. Why didn’t he listen to her that night? Why didn’t he escape with her when he could? But she guessed he wouldn’t be Bruce otherwise. Of course he had to go and try to save his guardian. She could understand him; he didn’t want to lose his only family.

 

She reached her destination: Ivy’s hideout. The girl had found herself some kind of work. She was making illegal things grow for people and since she was good at this, it was giving her a secure place. Selina also wanted to see whether or not Ivy was fine. She guessed the girl was also some kind of friend to her. She found her watering plants.

 

“Ivy?”

 

“Hey. Searching for a place to hide? You can stay a bit, I don’t mind.”

 

“No, it’s not that. I wanted to see whether or not you were okay and if you knew where those psychos are?”

 

“Psychos?”

 

“Those guys who attacked he Gala! You saw nothing?”

 

“I wasn’t watching TV. But I heard about them. Some guys came this morning to buy some drugs, I heard they were with some guy named Jerome.”

 

“Really?! What else did you hear?”

 

“Nothing much. You should ask to the dealers, I only take care of the plants. Why do you wanna know where they are?”

 

Selina shrugged, almost uneasy to admit it: “I’m searching for them.”

 

“You want to be one of them?” Asked Ivy casually.

 

“No! Are you kidding?!”

 

“What is it, then?”

 

“…I just want to find Bruce.”

 

Ivy raised an eyebrow: “You like him that much?” Selina just tilted her head and rolled her eyes, showing her she wasn’t the mood. The little girl shrugged: “I don’t know, really. But I heard one of them saying the ‘black zone’ was fun to hang around.”

 

The black zone…It meant the streets were the power was off. Of course Jerome would take Bruce there! She should have thought of that. But it was still a huge part of the city, she would have to search a lot and be very careful. Those maniacs weren’t the usual thugs she would deal with daily, they had lost their minds. And Jerome…Gosh, she hoped Bruce had a thick skin, otherwise he would never last. Maybe he was already dead…She pushed that thought away and continued to search. She didn’t have to confront any of them; she would just have to help Bruce escape. That wouldn’t be so complicated, would it?

 

**O o O**

 

Bruce had been into a deep sleep, one could say he had passed out of exhaustion. He only woke up in the morning, still tied to a chair, and at the sounds of cackles and laughter. His vision was blurry at first. He blinked several times to try to stabilize it. Gosh, his mouth and throat were so dry it hurt! He took a deep breath and saw the table set before him.  There were pancakes as well as maple syrup. The followers were still here, but no sight of Jerome. One of them, a bit quieter than the others had been tasked to make the breakfast, and he was obviously too scared to say no.

 

“Hey, he is awake!”

 

“The cutie will join us for breakfast!” Said a man teasingly. Bruce recognized Derek, the one who punched him in the stomach when he tried to escape. The man had a sick smirk, and Bruce couldn’t help but shiver. He almost wished Jerome was here, at least he was a familiar face.

 

“Ah, so he is awake! Hello! We’re having breakfast, Brucie!”

 

The redhead appeared, all smirking gleefully; he put a plate with a silvery cover on the table just before his prisoner and Bruce looked at him questioningly.

 

“Don’t you wonder what is under it?”

 

He shook his head and Jerome laughed. The others looked at it with curiosity and excitement, like dogs waiting for some treat.

 

“You know there is a trick, don’t you? Lost your tongue, Brucie? You don’t even say ‘hello’?”

 

His mouth was dry, really dry, he knew it would make it hard to talk, and he didn’t want to speak anyway. Jerome just shrugged:

 

“Whatever, you must be hungry. You know, I thought of how much you love your butler. I couldn’t bring yours but I found some guy who looked a bit like him…”

 

He took the cover away to reveal the severed head of a man on the plate, arranged with salads. Bruce opened his mouth in shock and horror and looked at Jerome with disgust: that was sick! Utterly crazy and sick! Did he kill that man just for this joke?! The madman laughed at this, just like his goons.

 

“Come on, laugh a bit! That joke was for you!”

 

His hand went to Bruce’s face to take his chin, but before he could grab it, the boy bit hard. The redhead yelped briefly. The laughter stopped, the psychos were all wondering what was going to happen. Jerome looked at his hand and everyone saw a few tiny drops of blood. Jerome stared at Bruce again and then let out a huff of awe.

 

“Look at that! You’re hungry indeed! You’ve got a bit, Brucie, that’s what I like about you! Oh, don’t look at me like that…”

 

His face became serious again and he looked at his prisoner closely. Bruce recoiled slightly again.

 

“You’re probably a bit dehydrated…Is that why you don’t talk?”

 

He untied the ropes around his wrists, though the ones around his bust and feet were still here. He was given water while everyone was getting around the table. Jerome sat beside him, and exchanged a few comments with his followers on yesterday’s events and all.  It was so surreal! They almost looked like normal people taking breakfast, but you could hear them talk about murder with a severed head on the table and a beaten kid tied to a chair! It was a nightmare!

 

That was too hard to bear. He looked away from the head and decided to take the glass he had been given. Bruce smelled the water first, drank carefully and then greedily. It felt good to finally drink! His eyes went on the head again; he couldn’t help it. He felt nauseous once more, and guilty to just drink water with a human remain on the table; yet what could he do? He couldn’t stay without water. The worst were his empty eyes…Jerome turned to him and took the plate:

 

“Don’t worry, Brucie, I don’t expect you to eat this.”

 

The madman just sent the head and salads flying across the room with a ‘Oopsie!’. It pleased the goons greatly and Bruce found himself sorry for the poor man whose head was used in such a way.

 

“Was it really all for that?”

 

“Oh, he speaks! Of course, it was for that. That’s what I’m trying to teach you: it’s all a game, all for the fun.”

 

“You should know by now that I don’t believe it. You won’t make me change my mind.”

 

“That sounds like a challenge, I like that!”

 

Bruce didn’t reply and drank again, he watched the food, and seeing that Jerome and his goons were eating as well, he guessed it wasn’t poisoned. He was struck at how weird it felt to see them acting almost normally, just taking breakfast together. They were still trying to throw evilish stares, or try to take Jerome’s attention. Yet it didn’t work much right now, he was focusing on Bruce, who eventually got tired of that:

 

“Why are you staring at me?”

 

“Eat. It’s not poisoned; it would be boring to kill you like that. I’m thinking of some games we could play, I don’t want you to faint on us while we are playing.”

 

He complied, he was hungry after all, and he couldn’t lose strength. It didn’t really taste bad; he tried not to eat too quickly, to avoid stomach pain. Additional suffering was the last thing he needed. Jerome took out a knife suddenly and made it slide against Bruce’s cheek, grazing it. The young boy did his best to keep his composure, he knew a wrong move could be fatal. The blade slid down on Bruce’s neck, then it reached the boy’s chest and Jerome finally started to cut. Bruce tightened his jaw and tensed in fear. The rope around him fell down and Bruce was surprised to see the Jerome hadn’t cut him at all.

 

“Those are pretty useless, that was mostly for the drama. You won’t escape.”

 

He put down the blade; Bruce’s hands and whole body were quivering after what happened, but he started to untie his feet nonetheless while replying: “Why? Because I would miss your charming company, otherwise?”

 

The psycho giggled at this: “You surely would, but not only. Remember the bomb which exploded yesterday?”

 

Bruce paled and nodded slightly. Jerome smirked and went on: “Well, there is a second one. It’s somewhere in town. I won’t say where, of course. But I can tell you that the moment you try to escape, it will blow. Boum! And if you want me to let you save this stupid little city from another explosion, you’ll have to do exactly as I say.”

 

Oh hell! Things were getting worse! Another bomb! He remembered what happened yesterday and he knew he didn’t want this to happen once more. Oh God…He thought he could sneak out of here, just run away and reach the police and be safe…But he couldn’t do that anymore!

 

“So that’s the game you were talking about?”

 

“It is.”

 

Bruce didn’t even think, he just stood up, even though his legs were shaky and went to the window. The goons watched out for any attempt to escape. Not alarmed in the slightest, Jerome just watched him while chewing a pancake. The wannabe hero wouldn’t leave, not after hearing this. He finished eating and went to him. The boy was looking outside thoughtfully; Jerome stood right behind him and murmured to his ear:

 

“What is the escape-artist gonna do? You’re not going to disappear now that other people are in it. How did you do it by the way?”

 

“What?”

 

“How did you get out?”

 

“A magician never reveals his tricks,” Bruce sneered.

 

“No, I guess not,” he chuckled. “You picked up the lock for sure, but I didn’t know you could undo your bonds. It doesn’t matter anyway; we’ll see how many tricks you have in your sleeve.”

 

Bruce looked outside again. He could see corpses in the streets, and some psychos were playing with those. It was absolutely grim, and it could get worse. “And if I do everything you ask? How long will this go on? Until you get bored and kill me?”

 

“Until you accept to see the truth. I want you to join me. In the meantime, it will amuse me to play with you, I like to see you struggling. It will depend on you.”

 

“Let me go home!” He knew it was useless to demand that, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“Your home is with us now.”

 

Bruce turned to face him: “No, it’s not!”

 

Jerome liked his defiant expression; he couldn’t help but feel some pride: that was his Bruce! The bold kid, not the rich little boy; he knew it wouldn’t be easy to make his see, but he always liked a good challenge.

 

“Maybe not for now, but you will be. We’re planning a new game, and you know, it does require some materials, nothing really big or complicated, but stuff we still need, after all a good number must be well prepared. So I hope you’re well prepared because you’ll have a key role in it!”

 

Bruce frowned at this. What was Jerome expecting from him? He found out when the van he had been thrown in by Jerome stopped before a little store. Some of the cultists were with them, like the girl named Laura and her friend Casey. He was pushed out and Jerome simply said: “You’re helping us robbing it.”

 

Bruce’s mouth fell open: “No”

 

“Remember, Bruce, you should do as we say. Do you want me to go and randomly start shooting people in the street?”

 

This was enough to make Bruce silently walk with them toward the store. It wasn’t worth risking people’s lives, stealing stuff was nothing compared to a shooting. Were there people inside? He didn’t know, but he had to try to save them, like that woman in the Mall. When they went in, they saw no clients but there was a man behind the counter. At the sight of the newcomers, the man’s eyes widened and he went to grab something from under the counter but one the psycho shot and the man just hid.

 

“Seems like our host isn’t happy to see us!”

 

Jerome went toward the counter but Bruce grabbed him by his vest to stop him. Jerome roughly pushed him away, making him stumble. He rushed again toward the red head when strong hands grabbed his arms.

 

“Let go!”

 

“Obey, Bruce, it’s for the best,” Casey instructed.

 

Jerome forced the man to get away from the counter and to kneel on the ground, in plain sight and pointed his gun at his head. “Get what we need,” he instructed Bruce and his goons, “I’ll keep an eye on our host.”

 

There was no way Bruce could disobey. He helped the others to get what they needed: ropes, tapes, hammers, nails, cutters, invisible threads…Bruce didn’t what it was for, but he was scared. Jerome said he was preparing something, well it seemed like it would be big if he needed all this. They even got a few axes. Bruce was really scared when he saw that. It didn’t take long to gather everything and fill their bags with it. The cultists also had fun vandalizing the store, but they didn’t indulge in that for long. They went to Jerome who looked satisfied and who grinned sadistically at Bruce.

 

“Good job.”

 

Without any other words, he shot the kneeling man in the head. Blood and brain parts splattered the ground. Bruce yelped in shock while everyone else laughed at this sight. Jerome looked at the dark-haired boy who was still shocked: “I never said I would spare his life.”

 

“You said you wouldn’t shoot people!”

 

“No, I said I would shoot people in the streets if you disobeyed. You used to be a better, listener, Bruce.”

 

“Why did you kill him?!”

 

“Why not? Look at him, kneeling like that after hiding. He was nothing but a poor little sheep waiting to be killed. A lot of people are. Now, let’s move for the next part!”

 

He grabbed him by the arm and forced him to walk away with the rest of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Escaping will be even harder now! Don't hesitate to comment, it's always nice to read your reviews!


	7. Human Targets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here is the new chapter, hope you'll enjoy it! I'm pretty proud of that chapter (I'm proud of the whole story, but that part had been quite challenging).  
> To sum up what will happen: Poor Bruce and poor Harvey Bullock.

**Past**

 

Zack would often visit his sister when the circus was in town. He enjoyed spending time with her and Jeremiah. It was also the occasion to give his other nephew a good piece of his mind, and he would generally speak with his fist while doing that. Thinking of the devil…He saw Jerome sitting on the ground with a black-haired kid. He remembered he had seen that boy hanging out with Jerome several times. He wondered who he was, his nephew wasn’t exactly one to make friends, even when some kid was willing to get close to him, it wouldn’t last. His freak of a nephew couldn’t keep anyone around and there was a good reason for that. But that one seemed to last longer.

 

He looked at what they were doing: the dark-haired one was mixing two products and a very small explosion was heard. The two kids yelped and laughed in amusement and Zack was startled at the sound. None of them had seen him.

 

“That’s good! Where did you learn that?” Asked Jerome

 

“At school, the science class is probably the best, the teacher give us some tips like that.”

 

“Dafuq are you doing?” Zack growled.

 

The brunet looked up at him with some fright and Jerome’s smile faltered. The redhead shifted his position to put himself before Bruce. He didn’t like to receive blows from his uncle but he would hate to see him hit Bruce. He didn’t know why, but the idea of seeing his friend being beaten by Zack was almost unbearable.

 

“Why do you care?”

 

“Since when do you talk to me like that, you little…”

 

“I was just showing him something,” the brunet said while standing up. Jerome mimicked him, it was better to be ready to run. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!”

 

Something in the attitude of those two stunned him. The kid seemed frightened at him, while he should have been scared of Jerome, and more of all, his nephew, his fucked up nephew, was protecting someone! He couldn’t believe it and that’s maybe that stunning situation which stopped him from beating Jerome already.

 

“Zack?”

 

They saw Jerome’s mother, who looked worried. She was walking with a clown, her last fuck buddy in date. She brought her brother away from the two boys and in her caravan. When Zack asked her who the kid was, she sighed: “You won’t believe it.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“Bruce fucking Wayne.”

 

“What?!”

 

He had heard of the billionaire kid, the newspaper ranted about the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne for a long time. “You must be kidding! What would a kid like Bruce Wayne do with a rat like Jerome?”

 

“He came here once and that’s how they met, God knows why he took a liking on Jerome. He is also quite friend with Jeremiah, I think. Maybe he’s screwed up too, I don’t know. I told Jerome not to mess up with him, I don’t want problems with that family.”

 

No wonder, they were one of the most powerful and richest family in Gotham…Hell, of the country, even! Shit, this couldn’t end well. He discussed with his sister a bit and eventually went to find the kid. He and Jerome were looking at a locked up box. He didn’t know why, and he didn’t care.

 

“Kid.”

 

The two boys raised their heads when they heard the call. Bruce tensed a bit and the man gestured at him to come. Although Jerome tried to stop him at first, Bruce stepped toward Zack; he didn’t want to be afraid. Jerome’s jaw clenched. He perfectly knew what Zack wanted to do. He wasn’t the first one. His mother and even the circus’s director tried to tell Bruce he shouldn’t hang around with him. His first move was to tell his uncle to leave them alone, but he held himself back. He wanted to know how Bruce would react.

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“Listen, kid, I’m going straight to the point. I don’t know why you’re hanging out with that one, but you shouldn’t.”

 

“Jerome is my friend.”

 

“Well he shouldn’t be. Believe me, my nephew is rotten to the core, he’ll only gives you problems. So don’t come and see him again.”

 

Bruce frowned and found the courage to say: “It’s weird to hear an adult talk like that of his own nephew. And only my guardian can tell me who I can see or not see.”

 

Zack closed his fist tightly. He badly wanted to punch the boy, he couldn’t help it. He hated when people defied him, and he hated it even more when a kid would do that. Adults were adults, but children were supposed to obey grown up, and when one failed to do so…It made him want to make them squirm and bleed; he saw for a second the boy bleeding and weeping and enjoyed that image. But then he remembered his sister’s words: this was Bruce fucking Wayne. The boy stepped away from him and returned to Jerome. Zack walked away, full of rage.

 

“Why doesn’t he like you?” Asked Bruce to Jerome.

 

“Well, that’s my dear uncle. He has dominance issues, or something like that. He can’t handle it whenever someone stands up to him, except maybe my mom. And I’m not exactly the kind to obey easily. That’s also why my mom hates me, and because I’m a weirdo, I guess.”

 

“You’re not a weirdo.”

 

“Oh, yes, I am. There is something dark in me. But I’m fine with it, at least you’ll agree I’m not boring.”

 

 Bruce had a little huff of amusement. He reminded him of Selina, she would never pretend to be good, she plainly embraced her flaws. Jerome never pretended to be in the norm, and he kinda liked that. “No, indeed, you’re not.”

 

“I know he isn’t the first one who told you that,” Jerome explained. “But I guess it wasn’t really effective since you’re still here.”

 

“No. I told them you’re my friend, and I don’t care if you’re different.”

 

Jerome was sincerely touched at those words: “Well, let’s go back to that lock.” Bruce nodded in approval, Jerome and he were training to pick up locks. It was kinda exciting, and it made both of them forget Zack. At least Bruce forgot him, Jerome was reminded of his uncle’s anger as soon as he came back home. When he entered, he saw Jeremiah in a corner, holding his cheek as if he had been hit, and it was probably the case. And he saw Zack glaring at him. He received a punch in the guts as soon as he closed the door. He wasn’t a little child anymore, he tried to fight back, but hell, his uncle was bigger and stronger. In the end, he finished on the ground, being kicked several times in the stomach.

 

“You’re never making fun of me again, got it, you little shit!”

 

Jerome answered nothing. His mother was drinking, watching indifferently. Jeremiah had left to go on his bed. He did the only thing he could: he laughed. He laughed crazily; this was so pathetic and stupid! Later, after Zack left, the twins were both in their beds. They could hear their mother fucking at the other side of the van. If there was one thing they agreed on it was this: they were both tired to hear that almost every night or day. That was one of the few moments when they were willing to speak, just to distract themselves from the sounds.

 

“What did Bruce do to make Zack so angry?” Asked Jeremiah

 

“Why? He spoke of him?”

 

“Yeah. Apparently he was bratty. I tried to tell him he wasn’t a brat, just young, but…I guess I should have shut up.”

 

“Oh, it’s rare for him to hit ‘Mr Perfection’.”

 

Jeremiah rolled his eyes at that nickname. “It’s rarer for me because I’m more careful than you.”

 

“If by careful, you mean overly obedient and more manipulative, then yes.”

 

Jeremiah didn’t answer anything; yes, he was manipulative, but he didn’t care. His brain was his sole weapon in that hell they lived in! So if he had to be manipulative, be it. If Jerome had been less of a rabid dog, if they had gotten along they might have been able to work together, but no. Jeremiah had grown to hate his brother for denying him the affection he should have given, avenging himself as much as he could. Of course, Jerome would have retorted that it was Jeremiah who wronged him. It didn’t really matter anyway, all he knew was that: he was alone, and this brother of his was just an enemy.

 

“He tried to tell Bruce not to hang around with me anymore, but he refused to listen to him,” Jerome said with some pride.

 

Once again, Jeremiah was silent, but he couldn’t but feel a twinge in his heart. He envied him. He had never been jealous of Jerome before, but today, he was. He was still lonely, while Jerome had been granted a real friend.

 

**O o O**

**Present**

 

Bullock was doing his best not to lose his mind. Jim was away for now, he went to check a call, and apparently someone had sighted Jerome Valeska somewhere. Maybe it would be the truth, but he doubted it. They had dozens, hell, maybe hundreds of calls like that since the Gala! They had to check out each time, in case, but as a result, they got nothing and the cops were dispersed and exhausted. Panic reigned over the city and it wasn’t about to get better.

 

“We got a call!” A young cop came toward him. Jim and he were somehow in charge now, probably because no one cared much in the middle of that mess.

 

“Yeah, that’s not exactly new!”

 

“They said they sighted both Bruce Wayne and Jerome Valeska, this time.”

 

Wayne? The boy hadn’t been mentioned in many calls before; maybe he hadn’t been mentioned at all, he wasn’t sure. That was worth checking out. He tried to call Jim but his partner wouldn’t answer. He hoped nothing happened to him. He gathered as many cops as he could; he got six in total for that. They got to the place as quickly as possible. For now, they would check out, he hoped he wasn’t wrong about it, otherwise it would mean he took six cops with him for nothing.

 

The building was an old storehouse, it was abandoned since long, one of the many Gotham’s building which had been taken by criminals. They looked inside and Bullock’s eyes widened as he did see someone. At the other side of the room, Bruce Wayne was restrained to a pipe, mouth tapped and obviously scared with a bruise on his face. He was alive! He was about to step in when the kid saw them and shook his head violently while making muffled sounds. A trap…Of course, there was a trap, the kid was just a bait, those psychos wouldn’t leave their hostage like this! He stopped immediately but two cops just rushed inside.

 

“No!”

 

One of them activated the first trap. A big wooden pole fell on their head and in a second, both were on the ground, bleeding profusely. Harvey kneeled beside them, watching carefully for any other traps. He ordered one of the cops to put pressure on their heads and told another one to call an ambulance and more cops and keep an eye on any movement. He told the two last ones to follow him and watch for any other traps. Even if there was danger, they had to try to get to the boy and save him, the hostage was their priority. In normal times they would have rushed toward him, but here, they had to go slowly and carefully.

 

“Watch out for any of them…” He then turned to the boy: “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of this.”

 

Further muffled sounds followed and Bullock saw the kid was looking at something on the ground and was moving his chin as if he wanted to show him something. He looked in the direction and saw a small piece of wood laying on the ground with a big sharp nail in its center. It was pointed in the air, waiting for someone to walk on it.

 

“Son of a bitch,” Harvey muttered.

 

Bruce was a bit relieved. He memorized the different traps, and if he could point those to the cops, maybe they would get away easily. He had to tell them about the bomb, that he couldn’t leave, but he had to it discretely; Jerome would get back at him if he discovered Bruce spilled the beans. He yelled as much as he could to another cop, the woman was walking right toward one of the traps. “Sanders, watch out! “Harvey yelled, understanding what Bruce was doing.

 

The cop looked around but saw nothing. Bruce could see it; he showed her the ground and Sanders saw the thin invisible thread. She saw the mechanism and what it led to. A gun was hidden between two old boxes, and its trigger was linked to the thread. It was pointed in her direction. If she had walked on the thread, the gun would have shot at her. She took off the gun, completely undoing the trap. Bruce was relieved, until he saw the third cop walking toward another one. He tried to warn him, but the man took one last step. It was enough.

 

They used a lot of invisible thread for their bobby traps. This one was linked to a bucket which was placed on a metallic pole, above, ready to pour its content. The thread linked to its handle was pulled when the cop’s walked upon it. The bucket and everything it contained fell over the man. Bruce’s eyes widened in horror as he saw thousands shards of broken glasses falling over the cop’s frame. The man screamed in agony and fell on the ground were more shards were awaiting him. The boy closed his eyes, the screams were deafening in his ear. He felt nauseous and prayed it was all a nightmare.

 

Harvey and Sanders were about to rush at his side when they heard gunshots. They saw the colleagues who stayed at the entrance, one had been shot and the other one was shooting at a target. Another gunshot echoed, much closer and Harvey saw Sanders falling on the ground. He saw the psycho who shot and fired. The criminal fell on the ground, and Harvey stepped toward Bruce, he had to make sure he was safe. 

 

He shot another psycho who tried to fire at him. A yelp came from his attacker who collapsed. Fuck! He hoped his colleagues had received their call and would come soon; otherwise he was screwed! Yet there weren’t anyone shooting anymore…Then, he heard muffled yells, a loud noise behind him and then the sound of a body falling. He was turning round when he felt something hard hitting his head. The shock made him fell down and he just had the time to see Jerome with a bat. It came toward his head one last time.

 

Harvey was struck unconscious.

 

**O o O**

**Earlier that day:**

 

_After the robbery in the store, the psychos found an abandoned building where they started to prepare traps._

_Jerome was especially enjoying himself, booby traps had always been of a great interest to him. When he was a kid, he would make some for the streets cats to kill them; he would also make little traps for human, but only as jokes, he didn’t know how to kill someone without getting caught. It would be simply a thin thread between someone way to make them trip, or a bucket of water hanging on a barely opened door. Once, he filled that bucket with elephant shit, he had managed to put the blame on another kid and it had felt good to see someone else suffer for once._

_“Who is that for?” Asked Bruce all of sudden, taking him out of his thoughts. Jerome smiled at him; he just handcuffed his friend to a pipe, hands behind his back, to make sure he wouldn’t pull any other trick._

_“For the cops of course. We’re going to call them.”_

_“What?!”_

_Jerome enjoyed the surprised look on his face, he always loved when he managed to surprise him._

_“Well, yes! One of us will call them and explain that Bruce Wayne and Jerome Valeska had been seen in here. And when they’ll come in here, well…”_

_“They’ll probably send dozens of cops to catch you. Do you really think they’ll all get trapped?” He purposefully said ‘trap’, because he didn’t want to say ‘kill’._

_“Oh, they won’t send too many cops. See, I happen to be in multiple parts of the city.”_

_Bruce gave him a confused look and Jerome went on: “After my escape, I told some of my followers to make calls to the police. They acted like scared sheep and pretended they saw me in different parts of the city. One called at midnight to say I was on the docks, another called   at 2am to say I was near the General Hospital, and on and on...And I guess a lot of real sheep are freaking out and calling them everywhere. It’s chaos, and they are overworked.”_

_“Then what makes you believe they’ll even come?” Bruce pointed out._

_“Because we’ll mention you, and I’m pretty sure they’ll check out. They wouldn’t care for any normal folk, but they wouldn’t miss a chance to find the Prince of Gotham won’t they?”_

_Bruce’s tightened his lips and raised his eyebrows. “Really?”_

_“Yeah. They don’t care about the regular folks, but little rich boy…”_

_“Stop talking like that! Stop talking like everyone else!”_

_Jerome wasn’t expecting this. He looked at Bruce, silently telling him to go on. The boy stared right in his eyes: “Money or name never mattered between us, never! So stop speaking like all the jealous people I already met. That’s not you.”_

_“My, my, you’re really touchy about that, it proves my point.”_

_“What point?”_

_“That you aren’t made for that rich world you were born in. You wouldn’t be so upset to be defined by your money or your name if it was really important to you. That’s one of the things you enjoyed with me, you felt relieved of all that.”_

_Bruce didn’t answer anything because it was true. He wasn’t really fond of his snobbish world, and though money could definitely be handy, it never really mattered to him. And yes, it was true that whenever he had been with Jerome, he had been just Bruce. Not Bruce Wayne, just Bruce. And that was one of the things he enjoyed with him. Even now, even in that situation, he still had that feeling. Jerome smirked and ripped a band of tape._

_“And don’t worry, you will be free for real, I’ll make sure of that.”_

_He put the tape on Bruce’s mouth, reminding him he wasn’t in position to resist. He was even more worried, he wouldn’t even be able to warn anyone!_

_“Now, you can still try to save them, if you wish. But remember, don’t try to escape, and don’t speak about the bomb. But I guess it will be hard for you to speak.”_

_He gave Jerome angry look but it didn’t seem to affect the red-head at all. He tried to wriggle and free himself, but it proved useless. He had nothing to unlock the handcuffs at all; he could only wait._

 

**O o O**

 

Bruce let out muffled yells as Jerome circled around Bullock’s unconscious body. The cop who had been showered with glass shards had also been knocked out. He saw the ones in the entrance on the ground. Those who had been struck by the wooden pole were still down and the two others who had remained at their sides were also down, shot by the psychos. Jerome looked triumphant, his bat still in hands: “It’s Gordon’s friend, isn’t it? I recognize him. How about we toy with him a bit?”

 

New muffled sounds came out of the bound boy, sounding desperate and Jerome felt thrilled and mischievous once more. “You know that one? I guess you do, I know you already met Gordon, Barbara would endlessly cackle about how Jimmy would be so scared to see both you and that Lee taken hostage. I think she was jealous of you! Yeah! Because Gordon has some paternal feelings toward you. What a lunatic, I swear!”

 

He laughed at his joke, and then crouched at Bruce’s level: “At least I hope it was only paternal affection, otherwise…” Bruce frowned and gave him a disgusted look. That was a repulsive and sick idea! But now, Jerome was sick…The redhead huffed at his reaction and went to touch his face but Bruce backed away as much as he could to avoid it and Jerome just let his hand fall while rolling his eyes. “Don’t get so touchy again, I was kidding! Now, let’s have some fun!”

 

They took Bullock’s unconscious body and put him in one of the vans, while Bruce was released and brought to the other one. He took a big breath when the tape was taken off of his mouth. “What are you gonna do to him?!”

 

“You’ll see, now, hush! I need to think.”

 

Though he didn’t like that, Bruce did obey. He couldn’t take any risks while there was another hostage, Jerome could kill him out of anger. As long as Bullock was unconscious, he had to wait. He didn’t know where they stopped, but they got into another trashed place. Bruce was locked inside the van at first. He considered his options but didn’t know what to do. Once again, apart from obeying, he couldn’t do anything without risking the cop’s life. That was so frustrating! Here he was with his hands untied, able to run and even fight, but he couldn’t do anything, because there was a hostage, because he was too young, because he didn’t have any weapons, or enough training! And cops had been killed while he had watched without being able to do anything! That man in the store had been murdered under his eyes! And now, maybe he would see Detective Bullock die! He promised himself he would do everything to save him, he didn’t know him much, but it didn’t matter.

 

The van was suddenly opened and he saw Laura. “It’s ready!” She looked like they were about to throw some kind of surprise party for his birthday, it almost seemed like she was unaware of the horror of their actions. Bruce exited the van, they were in an underground parking lot and he saw everyone gathered, looking at something against the old decrepit wall. Bruce felt fear at this. What would he see? When he saw, he froze in place.

 

Detective Bullock was tied against an old plank, and Bruce’s heart at this sight. The man yelled insults at them: “Untie me you fucking psychos; I’m not your fucking toy!”

 

Jerome advanced toward him and laughed: “I fear you’re wrong! Don’t be sad, you’ll have a spectacular death!”

 

Bruce was afraid but he couldn’t just stay here. Laura’s hold was weaker than earlier, he freed himself easily and went to Jerome. “What are you going to do?!”

 

Harvey’s eyes widened at the sight of Bruce. What was he doing?! Jerome turned to the boy with a proud and excited smile: “A knife throwing number, of course! You always thought I was good at this, well, you’ll have the pleasure to see me again.” He turned to his audience: “Where do you think I should plant the first knife, guys? Between the eyes?! Do you think I can do it?!”

 

Encouragements echoed but when Jerome was about to throw the first knife, Bruce pushed him away. Yells of disapproval echoed, Bruce felt someone grabbing him but he resisted against the hold. Jerome looked very annoyed.

 

“Bruce! That’s cheating! If you bet on me loosing, fine, but don’t cheat!”

 

“Let him go!”

 

“Kid, stop that!” Bullock yelled, but his words were ignored.

 

“He is a cop! Do you seriously want me to let him go?”

 

“I thought you didn’t fear cops. It’s not as if we were staying here anyway!”

 

“It’s not about fear, it’s about resistance, and mostly fun!”

 

“Are you really sure about that?!”

 

Everyone was watching their exchange with attention; detective Bullock was agape at the sight of this kid trying to stand up to Gotham’s most dangerous criminal. He yelled at him: “Don’t do that, kid, back up! It doesn’t matter what they do to me, save yourself!”

 

At those words, Jerome slowly stepped toward the detective: “So you’re ready to die for him?”

 

“That’s that a real man would do, you scumbag! You wouldn’t know that, would you?”

 

Jerome had a smile in the corner of his lips. “Well…That’s no fun if you’re willing. Trying to play the big hero when you’re going to die anyway…It’s a lame twist. You’re just trying to look good.”

 

People in the crowd approved and booed at the detective. Jerome shot once in the air to get everyone’s attention: “New idea! How about a courage test?! Brucie?”

 

He stepped toward Bruce again and seized him by the arm: “How about you take his place and I draw your shape on the plank with my knives? Here is the goal: if you muster the courage to stand willingly while I throw all my knives at you, I’ll let him live. But if you cower away, he’ll take back his place.”

 

Approvals and a few disappointed moans were mixed, but Jerome only looked at Bruce, who nodded silently. The redhead had a cruel laugh and spoke to the cop: “You wanted to be a man? You wanted to be a hero? Well, look what happens now because of you: Bruce will be on the fire line! What is the big man going to do?”

 

Those words rose even more enthusiasm among the followers who mocked Harvey. He tried not to pay any attention to them and focused on the two boys: “You fucker! Don’t do it, Bruce!”

 

Jerome didn’t listen to the cop and addressed the crowd again: “See people? That kid asked me once to teach him how to be brave! How to conquer his fear! Well, I want to see if I’m a good teacher. It’s one thing to beat up a guy, it’s another to stand and face a possible death without moving an inch.”

 

A lot of them cheered loudly, especially Laura and Casey. Bullock was tied against a pillar instead of the plank, he put up a fight, insulted them, told Bruce not to do it again and again, but no one paid attention. They gagged him to make sure he wouldn’t disturb the show. Once the man was secured, Bruce willingly placed himself face to face with Jerome. He stood with his arms slightly spread and his eyes looking straight ahead. He tried to keep a stern expression in spite of his racing heartbeat. He had to be able to do this. He had a goal, he wanted to grow strong. This was training, yes, he had to see it like this, as a part of his training to face fear. How could he ever pretend to help others if he couldn’t face fear and death? The man in the shop had been killed already, several cops had been murdered, he couldn’t let the last person alive die.

 

“Remember, Bruce. If you decide to leave, you have only one word to say.”

 

The boy remained silent and Jerome prepared himself. Jerome threw the first knife with a maniacal grin. Bruce couldn’t help but startle when he heard the knife land beside his ribs. Yet he didn’t move an inch. He hadn’t moved when his parents had been killed, because he was too scared. Well, this time, remaining still could save a life. He had to do this. Jerome’s smile intensified and he threw the second knife. It landed on the other side, and Bruce couldn’t help but feel grateful that Jerome was good at this. _He doesn’t want to kill you. He has other plans in mind for you_. At least he hoped so. A third knife landed right beside his skull this time and Bruce’s breath was cut off. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.

 

“Seems like he is getting scared already! Will he give up soon?” Another wave of ruckus echoed in his head, he clenched his teeth as the headache felt more persistent. Other knives were thrown and Bruce managed to stay in place. It was so tempting though, to just say ‘Stop’. Yet he managed to keep his mouth shut. _I’m not gonna die today_. Jerome addressed the audience again:

 

“But, I’m the only one having fun, does anybody want to try? Anybody who knows how to throw a knife!”

 

A handful of people came, and Jerome reminded them loud and clear that they had no right to aim for the head. That part of Bruce was his.

 

One woman threw the first knife. Bruce was even tenser, but thankfully, it landed near his arm. The second, a guy, didn’t even manage to touch the plank. He picked up the knife while others made fun of him. A tall man took one of the knives and looked at Bruce with a predatory smirk. The boy had a bad feeling; he briefly looked at Bullock who shook his head as if he wanted to tell him it wasn’t worth it. The knife was thrown.

 

An excruciating pain spread through Bruce’s ear. The boy didn’t even realize that he was screaming before the sound died in his throat. His hand went to his ear, it was bleeding profusely and he could feel a cut. Hell, he didn’t know how to handle that kind of wounds! Jeremiah would have…He felt tears of pain prickling his eyes and was absolutely unable to hold those back.

 

The man who threw the knife laughed until he received a punch from Jerome: “What did I say?! The head is for me only!”

 

He stabbed the guy in the arm and looked at Bruce again; the boy was slightly bent over, his hand on his bleeding ear.

 

“That one was bad, I guess! Do you want to give up, Bruce?”

 

Jerome’s words were like an electric shock, and it was enough to give him strength again. He had to be able to face this! Taking shaky breath, clenching his teeth to try to push away the nausea building through his throat, he straightened himself again and tried to fight against the tears. He was strong, stronger than them and he would prove it! He wiped the tears away, took his hand off his ear and stayed before the plank. His look was enough to tell Jerome he wouldn’t give up.

 

There was more tension in the room; Bullock’s breath was cut off at such a sight. The followers were quieter and watched Bruce with stupor. Even his captor wasn’t smirking anymore. He wasn’t as surprised as the rest but he looked at Bruce with fascination. He took another knife and threw it quickly.

 

The blade landed right beside his neck. Bruce’s jaw tightened and he kept his position. Another person threw a knife and it landed beside his shoulder. Bruce’s breath was cut off again as a knife landed just above his head. Another at the other side of his neck. Jerome threw a knife again and this time, he felt pain in his arm. Not as bad as his ear but he hissed and his jaw tightened. He had to fight himself not to get down and tell them to stop. He longed to do that, to just stop. He felt blood oozing out, the knife made a cut, but it wasn’t actually planted in his arm. Some new tears fell from his eyes. He focused on fighting those off as Jerome threw other knives around his head; He had to face it, he had to face pain and death, he had to save Detective Bullock…It seemed like it would never end, and slowly, Bruce found himself swearing that no one would ever force him to stand still. Never again! The criminals would have no other choices than cower before him!

 

He was breathing shakily and his body was trembling violently. How much time? Thing was, the more he stood against that plank, the more he felt like something was rising in him. He was facing death, and strangely it made him feel incredibly alive. He was wounded, but he was fighting in some way. He was finally facing something he couldn’t deal with in his everyday life. How much…

 

“Well, it seems that our dear Brucie won again!”

 

Applauds and cheers were heard. Bruce sighed in relief but felt scared again when he saw Jerome right before him. The redhead smiled while looking at the knife. It was a ferocious but delighted smile “You wouldn’t give up would you? How do you feel now, Bruce?”

 

“A…Alive.” Jerome chuckled at this and half-dragged him toward a man who stood up and tore off another guy’s sleeve.

 

“Hey, why did you do that for, Doc?!” Yelped the latter

 

“I need it,” answered the first man.

 

“Shut up, big baby, it’s only a shirt,” Jerome ordered.

 

The man who ripped off the sleeve made Bruce sit down and applied something against the wound. The boy felt pain again and yelled: “Stop!”

 

The man looked at him with surprise: “Calm down kid! I made studies to be a doctor, I know what I’m doing; That’s why they call me Doc! I’m cleaning your wound. I’ll have to make some stitches, though.”

 

“Come on, you ruin your little triumph by crying like a wuss,” someone said mockingly.

 

“Shut up, you’re just jealous cause he has guts,” another one replied in Bruce’s defense.

 

“Indeed,” Laura hissed. “Let’s see if you do better.”

 

With those words she suddenly planted a knife in the boy’s arm. A scream echoed and the man was whining and weeping. While some of the followers were scared, most of them were mocking the guy. Jerome was laughing manically.

 

“Not so tough, uh? I hate people who boast like this. Nice initiative, Laura!”

 

Nonsensical...That violence was just so pointless! He looked to see that Bullock had been knocked out already. Bruce hoped Jerome’s words truly meant something. He knew the boy, it was a game to him, and he guessed games had to get some edge to it. He shivered several times as the ‘Doc’ took care of him, he obviously knew what he was doing, at least. The teen jumped in surprise as he felt two arms encircling his torso. It was Laura who was smiling at him:

 

“You were kinda badass! No wonder Jerome doesn’t want to let you go!”

 

“Yeah, not sure it was worth it for that fat pig, but still!”

 

Laura released her hold. If it hadn’t been for the blood on Bruce and her demented look, they could have looked like two close friends or even a couple. Strangely enough, Jerome didn’t seem jealous at this. Bruce winced again at the pain: “We already did that once, but the knives were blunted.” He didn’t know why he was saying that, it just blurted out.

 

“You mean the kind of knives used by professionals to avoid killing the target?” Asked someone. Bruce nodded in response, though he didn’t know who spoke.

 

“We both shot knives at one another,” Jerome added while sitting near him. “It was funny. You were clumsy back then, but you learned fast. I wish I could see you try again one day. I’ll keep that idea in mind. Now, let’s move upstairs, there are plenty of places where we can stay.”

 

Bruce had been in some sort of daze during all the travel. He had tried to register where they could be, but discouragement and pain overtook him. All he had managed to do was to walk in silence when they took him out of the van. They were back in the ‘Dark Zone’ where the electricity was missing. He was pushed into a flat where the Doc started to stitch his ear and arm, explaining he would always keep some material near him, just in case. Bruce didn’t speak during that time. Once the Doc was over, he was pushed into the bathroom, which was tiny and dirty. At least it seemed like it was dirty, but the flat was in the sadows, enlightened only by a few portable lamps. When they closed the door, he was in complete darkness.

 

At first, Bruce didn’t care, but soon, being in the dark felt a bit suffocating. It was dark and tiny, it wasn’t scary, but he almost felt like in a coffin. He tried to feel some things with his fingers, to distract himself; he could feel the walls were decrepit…Did the owners leave that place a long time ago? Or did they just neglect this place? His fingers eventually felt two towels hanging, and a soap in the shower. There had been people in here, recently. So if they didn’t move away, what became of them? Had they been killed by his captors…He couldn’t help but contort his face.

 

The tears fell before he could do anything, and he just rubbed his eyes before hiding his face in his hands. At least he was alone and in the dark. The loud music they put would cover the sound of his sobs. He believed he heard a scream of pain. Maybe it was the person who used to own that flat who screamed…The tears were even more intense at this thought. He tried to cry as silently as possible and prayed that none of the psychos would come in. He desperately wanted to go home, to be safe again. He wanted Selina, he wanted Jeremiah, he wanted Alfred, and he wanted his parents…

 

He cried until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hesitate to comment!


	8. Strongman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is here! Enjoy!

Harvey Bullock wasn’t kept long in hospital. His head was hurt, but he insisted to leave nonetheless. He could survive a simple wound, guilt however…That would eat him up if he didn’t do anything. At least he had heard Sanders and two other cops survived, for now they were still alive. He returned to the police station, he couldn’t stay in bed, he would go crazy otherwise! Seeing his colleagues being wounded already made him sick, but strangely, it was what young Bruce endured which drove him mad. The images of the boy before the plank haunted him, and that scream, the scream he made when one knife wounded him…That made him sicker than anything. Where was he? He wouldn’t go to hospital, what if those psychos let him bleed to death?! What if they decided they didn’t get enough fun and kept hurting him?! Why didn’t the kid listen and retreat? Why did he try to save him?

 

He ignored the stares and people asking him if he was alright. In other circumstances, people would have blamed him for the loss of three cops, but there had been worse since Jerome Valeska was in the wild. He went to his desk and saw the Dr Thompkins. She looked at him with wide eyes.

 

“Harvey? You’re already out of hospital? Are you…”

 

“Please, don’t ask that question, I heard it too much today!”

 

He looked at the desk and realized he didn’t even know where he should start. He had already felt lost in his career, but never that much. Lee looked at him, she could see his hands quivering.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m gonna ask you that: how are you feeling?”

 

“I’ll feel better when we’ll get that freak down! I swear I’ll put a bullet in his head myself!”

 

“I kinda felt like that during the Gala. I wanted to see them dead.”

 

He sighed and suddenly felt incredibly exhausted and angry and upset. Maybe it was because she felt like he did, or because he was more at ease to speak with a doctor than another cop, but he let some of it out:

 

“But you aren’t a cop, you didn’t lead your colleagues to their death. You don’t have blood on your hands. And you didn’t see a kid serving as a human target just because you weren’t able to do anything!”

 

“Serving as a human target? You mean Bruce?”

 

He didn’t answer anything, she hadn’t heard the whole story yet, but she would. She went on:

 

“Harvey, you did everything you could! And three of them still have a chance to survive because you reacted quickly enough.”

 

Maybe she was right, but that wasn’t enough to erase everything he was feeling. They heard light footsteps and saw Jim coming toward them. Just at his look, Harvey knew Jim learned everything already and he probably overheard his conversation with Lee. God, he had to get a grip!

 

“Harvey…”

 

“I’m fine, if that’s what you’re going to ask.”

 

Jim kinda expected that. He took Lee’s hand and squeezed it lightly, maybe to give himself some courage; she returned the gesture with a soft look. “Okay…They told me you saw Bruce.”

 

“Yeah. He got wounded.” _Because of me_. “I don’t know where they went, they knocked me out.”

 

“What kind of wound?”

 

“His ear, it got…They threw knives at him.”

 

He told them the whole story, and Jim’s worried look did nothing to make him feel better. He tried to think, he wanted to find Jerome, but how? His brother didn’t know where he could be, his parents were both dead…He realized something: “We never interrogated his uncle.”

 

“His uncle?”

 

“Remember, when Jeremiah told us that Jerome almost killed him, he said his uncle helped him to hide,” Harvey reminded him.

 

“Yeah, I remember, now!” How did they neglect that? But they had been so overworked, they didn’t have any time to go and find the guy. “Okay, let’s find him. You sure you’ll be…”

 

“Trust me, Jim, the last thing I need is rest!”

 

Gordon knew it wasn’t good for Harvey to go back to work immediately after that, but his friend wouldn’t listen to him, he knew it. They found his address easily and Jim kissed Lee before leaving. “I’ll go visit Essen, she wants to be updated on what happens,” she told him.

 

“We’ll drive you there, it’s on the way.”

 

After getting Lee to the hospital, they found Jerome’s uncle. The big man was about to close his place when they arrived. The bar was empty, lifeless. A lot of places were like that recently.

 

“If you come to interrogate me about that rat, I don’t know where he is,” the man said while they were sitting down.

 

“You have no idea where your nephew could go?”

 

“I’m sorry, believe me I want you to catch him,” the man said sincerely. “But he could be anywhere. I remember he liked going on the docks, especially when he was hanging with that kid.”

 

“You mean Bruce Wayne?”

 

“Yeah. I know he got taken hostage; I guess it’s sad for a kid of that age, but I warned him. I told him not to approach Jerome. Jeremiah, that was another story, he is a good kid. But my other nephew was…rotten to the core. That’s what I told to the Wayne kid, but he just acted as if he knew better. See where it led him!”

 

Jim and Harvey looked at each other. That guy was weird. He seemed sincere about hating Jerome, but maybe he was too sincere. And the way he spoke of Bruce…As if he had deserved this! Gordon wanted nothing but to give the man a good piece of his mind for that. Harvey was more feeling like punching him. He wasn’t close to Bruce, but after what happened, he didn’t want to hear something like that.

 

“I spoke with Jerome. It seemed like your sister could be abusive toward her son,” Jim stated bluntly. He wanted to see his reaction and he got what he wanted. Zack’s face grew redder and his eyes narrowed. “My sister just gave that freak whatever punishment he deserved! And she was nice enough for keeping that piece of shit! Do you know how much troubles she got because of him?! All the parents who would come and complain to her, all the dirty tricks he would pull, all the times he would disobey her…He has no right to complain!”

 

Jim understood why Bruce didn’t listen to that man. In his eyes, Zack had probably looked like the bad guy, the one harassing and hurting a kid who was his friend. And maybe that’s why he had refused to give up on Jerome. Zack probably reinforced their friendship instead of breaking it. Hell, even he was feeling a bit sorry for Jerome. Not the psychotic maniac who shot Essen, threatened Lee, killed people and took Bruce hostage, but for the child he once was. He knew he couldn’t antagonize a potential witness, it would lead to nothing; yet he honestly wanted to beat Zack.

 

“Thank you. I think I understand much more now,” Jim stated coldly. “Now, try to think, you have absolutely no idea of who could be with your nephew?”

 

“Other psychos, who else?”

 

It didn’t give much away. Apparently Zack didn’t know anything else, but they decided they would still speak to Jeremiah, to try to know a bit more about their uncle. As he was thinking about it, he received a call from Lee.

 

Dr Thompkins had been with Sarah Essen while they had spoke to Jerome’s uncle. The woman looked a bit better than the last time she saw her, but she was still worried. She wasn’t about to be released soon, that gunshot had been bad. She asked question about Bruce Wayne and had been horrified to heard what happened to the boy. Then, she asked about the cops, especially Harvey and Jim.

 

“How are they all holding on?” Asked she.

 

“As much as they can. Jim and Harvey went to interrogate someone of the family, I don’t know what it will give, but well…And you? Looks like you’re feeling better.”

 

“Less nauseous,” Sarah growled. “I hate to be here, to think that this wound is stopping me from going out there and do my job. It’s right now that they need me the most and I’m here. Let’s say it’s highly frustrating. And you?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah, you. Two psychos attached you to a wheel and threatened to kill you. Don’t tell me it didn’t leave any scars on you.”

 

She lowered her eyes a bit. It was true that she had hardly slept after that, and the few hours of sleep she got had been plagued with nightmares. She didn’t speak of that with Jim because he couldn’t take care of her right now. And sadly, she could hardly take care of him either.

 

“It’s still in my head…Sometimes it goes back to me, and I can’t help but feel like someone is going to grab me and hurt me again. I know I’m not the one who got the worst, far from it, so I know I can’t complain. It’s just that sometimes, I hear Jerome whispering in my ear again, or see Barbara with that knife…I’m relieved she died. I know we’re not supposed to wish people dead, but it feels good to be sure she isn’t going to come back.”

 

“You’re not a saint. I would be relieved too, hell, I would go dance on her grave.”

 

Lee huffed at this and Sarah Essen giggled a bit. Lee sighed again:

 

“I guess I’m a bit frustrated too, there isn’t much I can do, except giving moral support or help some colleagues with their wounds. Forensic work isn’t the most needed right now.”

 

“Tell me about it! I’m here, and I can’t do anything but watch TV.” The commissioner suddenly opened her eyes wider. “Lee, now that I think about it, there is something weird I was thinking about, before they gave me a sedative. I watched the events of the Gala, and I noticed Galavan’s behavior, it was really weird.”

 

“Wait…”

 

Lee took out her cellphone and went on Youtube and found vids about the Gala. It wasn’t difficult at all, in fact, the story was all over the net.

 

“You’ll see, when Jerome asks Galavan his name…”

 

Lee couldn’t help but feel a bit sick when she saw herself on the wheel with Barbara and Jerome showing her to the camera like some trophy. Then, it came. Galavan intervened, telling Jerome it was enough.

 

“ _May I know your name_?” Asked the mad teen with a big smile on his face.

 

“ _My name…_ ” He turned to the camera, “ _is Theo Galavan_.”

 

“See!” Essen paused the vid.

 

“Yeah…I didn’t notice at all, but that’s freaking weird indeed!” Lee exclaimed.

 

“Why would Jerome ask him his name, he didn’t bother to do that for anyone before! And more importantly, why did Galavan act like that?! I mean, he looked right in the camera, as if he wanted everyone to know his name! This isn’t genuine; if it was me, I would have kept my eyes on Jerome, not turn my back on him!”

 

“So you think…”

 

“That this doesn’t look natural at all, as if it had been rehearsed! You told me there were proofs that Jerome’s father helped him to escape?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, I doubt an old blind man could really make several inmates of Arkham escape.”

 

“But Galavan had been killed…Though someone like Jerome wouldn’t be very loyal,” Lee murmured. “After all, he was working with Barbara and he killed her on a whim.”

 

“I think we could find very interesting stuff by searching through Galavan’s flat.”

 

“Okay, I’ll call Jim.”

 

**O o O**

 

**Past**

 

It was a beautiful day, summer was ending and autumn was starting to show its colors. People would go out and enjoy the last days of warmth while they still had time. Families of the circus wouldn’t be different. They stayed here this year, because of several incidents, or rather sabotage according to some. The culprit hadn’t been found, and the circus director wouldn’t accuse anyone without proof, but people had their suspicion. This Jerome, he had always been weird, always looking for troubles. Yet it was so frustrating to think they couldn’t get back at him, because they had no proof! That’s the reason why they hated him so much, and that was also the reason why they didn’t bat an eye when they saw Jerome getting hurt by his uncle again during that beautiful summer day.

 

Jerome’s mother wouldn’t bother much with proof; she knew her son did it. Therefore, she had lashed out on him, but the thing was, Jerome wasn’t a little boy anymore. He wouldn’t let her beat him anymore, he was tall and broader, and he could hurt her too. Last time she tried to hit him; he had grabbed her wrist and squeezed so hard it had given her bruises. He had enjoyed this; he had enjoyed seeing her whimper and be afraid. But of course, she had complained to her brother, and now he was here. His uncle had caught him and was now pinning him against the caravan, he had given him a big punch in the face and another in the stomach, then another before pushing him down and kicking him. Of course the redhead had tries to resist and hit him back, until his mother gave her brother the bleach.

 

Zack seized Jerome by the hair and kept the bottle of bleach above his face. “Now, you know what’s gonna happen, boy? That’s what you’re getting for your fucked up behavior! Hitting your own mother!”

 

The redhead saw a couple passing by and they looked at him. They looked at him and just walked away. Hatred washed over him, this was like a show to them, wasn’t it?! Jerome badly wanted to struggle and hit the man, but the bleach was ready to fall at any wrong move. Usually he would throw some of it on his arms, legs or torso, but never the face, that was the first time…

              

“How about I help you wash your face with this, uh? I can’t erase it from the surface of the world but at least, I can…”

 

Suddenly a yell was heard and a form jumped to push both Zack and the bottle away. The big man hardly moved though he released his hol<<<d on Jerome’s hair, but the bleach fell down, emptying itself on the ground. His uncle was stunned when he saw Bruce standing between him and his nephew.

 

“Get away from him!”

 

Jerome was agape: Bruce…stepped up to defend him? Zack just pushed him away: “Get away, kid.”

 

“No!”

 

The boy pushed Zack as hard as possible. His uncle grabbed the boy and violently threw him on the ground as if he was nothing but a mere rag-doll. Jerome got up on his feet. Zack leaned down to grab Bruce but Jerome punched him in the face and sent his foot in his rib. Zack’s breath was cut off and Jerome hit him once more. Bruce was getting up, and they heard yells of people coming to see what was happening. Jerome grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled on it.

 

“Run!”

 

Bruce sprinted as fast as possible, following Jerome wherever he would lead him. His right side was hurting badly because of the fall, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting away from the lunatic who was maybe pursuing them. They ran for a long time and eventually found themselves on the docks, far away from the circus. Exhausted and out of breath, they stopped on a deserted spot. At first none of them spoke, they needed time to regain their breath and spirits back. Bruce was so upset at this! How could his uncle do such a thing! And other people were around, and no one helped! They all just did their usual tasks and walked away normally, as if nothing was wrong, while a kid was getting hurt right under their nose!

 

“Why did he do that?!” The boy finally exclaimed

“It’s Uncle Zack…And his old fetish with bleach…I defended myself when my mother tried to hit me, apparently it’s _‘fucked up behavior’_ ” he growled while imitating Zack.

Jerome suddenly started to laugh like crazy, holding his sides. Bruce watched him with wide eyes, his breath cut at this sudden hilarity. Jerome giggled and uttered:

“The loving family! That’s all a fucking joke!”

“Jerome, you have to report that!”

“Report?!” He laughed even more. “Because you think they would care about a kid like me? The real world doesn’t work like that! And even if they do send me away, it will be in another place, with people who will probably be worse and I’ll be away from the circus and from you!”

“But you can’t let that happen! I thought he was going to kill you!”

Jerome’s laugh lessened and died but he was still smiling in a weird glee. “I can handle pain. It’s just being obliged to stay here and play the obedient son which infuriates me. You see, as much as I like comedy, there are some jokes I don’t enjoy. And now that I think about it, while should I fear the bleach, anyway? Why does it matter? He can splash me with it if he wants, I’ll have an original face, that way! Don’t you think, Bruce?!”

He burst into a laugh again and Bruce felt really creped out by this. It wasn’t a nervous and desperate laugh. He really seemed like he was laughing at the idea. Fear rose in him once more, he wanted to leave, but no; that was his friend and he needed him. Bruce advanced toward Jerome, and the redhead continued: “Come on, laugh! It’s much better if you laugh about it!”

But Bruce didn’t laugh at all. Instead he put his hands on Jerome’s shoulder and pressed those slightly. It lessened the laugh from the other boy and Bruce just encircled his shoulders in a brotherly hug. Jerome huffed, entirely confused at this behavior.

“What…What are you doing?’

Bruce didn’t move; in spite of his confusion, Jerome actually found himself enjoying this. He couldn’t remember the last hug he had. Did he ever get any? He slowly passed his arm around Bruce as well, and sighed. It felt alien to him, and yet it was quite pleasant…The kid probably thought he was very affected by all that. He didn’t really understand: it was a basic situation for him. But he was a kid after all, and at least he was giving him what he wanted. Usually, no one would care, it was as if he was beneath those ‘so good people’ and deserved no help. Bruce wasn’t like the others. It was actually quite comforting to feel his warmth, his presence, and his breathing. It was good to hug each other, to hold him, it made him feel like no one could take him away, that they wouldn’t part.

“Thanks,” Jerome whispered.

A few moments later, they were just sitting and looking at the sea. Bruce was still worried: “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll avoid them as much as possible, don’t worry. But don’t call anyone. That wouldn’t help at all.”

“You could come and live with me. It’s not as if I lacked space!”

Jerome considered the idea for a short moment. It seemed like a great perspective, coming to live with Bruce, see him every day, with nothing to get between them…But he was no fool. His family would never allow him to be happy, they wouldn’t let him live on his own. He couldn’t run away, he knew it, the problem had to be solved in another way. Anyway Bruce’s guardian would probably never allow it. He passed an arm around Bruce’s shoulder and pulled him a bit closer. The boy allowed himself to lean slightly against him.

“It wouldn’t be possible, you know it. Anyway, I know how to handle the situation.”

“Okay…You know better than I, I guess. When did it begin?”

“It was always like that. So, you see? The bleach thing is really nothing serious, he would have burned my face a long time ago if he had the balls to. But he isn’t a tough guy or anything. And they say I’m worthless!”

“You’re not worthless,” Bruce genuinely exclaimed. Jerome looked at him and the boy went on; “You have charisma, you’re funny, you’re sharp and you are bold. You can do many things, I’m sure of that.”

Jerome remained silent, it felt almost impossible to handle what he was feeling right now, it was almost overwhelming. He grinned and could only say: “I always saw myself as some kind of showman.”

“Yeah, that could be your thing.”

“You would come to see me?”

“Definitely. Even if you do only magic tricks.”

Jerome burst in laughter at this and Bruce laughed as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the part with Essen and Lee thinking Galavan was suspicious, I wrote it because it always ticked me that no one would realize how obvious he is when he says his name to the camera! Like, really! Don't hesitate to review, it's always nice to read what you have to say.


	9. Circus Animals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hoep you enjoy that chapter! Just a sum up on Bruce’s situation because we didn’t see him or Jerome in the last chapter (except for the past moment). Jerome set up traps for the police in an abandoned building, using Bruce as a bait. Some cops were killed and Harvey Bullock was captured; Jerome intended to throw knives at him, but Bruce accepted to serve as a human target to save him. Bruce’s ear was wounded and he got a lighter wound on his arm. Jerome and his followers went back in the zone without electricity and locked Bruce in a bathroom after having the Doc of the group taking care of his wounds.

**Present**

 

When Bruce woke up the next morning, his eyes were still a bit red and he was in pain. He had slept on the bathroom’s floor, leaning against the wall because there was hardly any place to fully lay down. He shivered, he was cold too. That place was anything but comfortable. The only good thing about being in a bathroom was the toilet and the sink. He had been able to use those as he wanted at least. He was hungry, though, his stomach tormented him. He touched his ear again, grazing it with his fingers. He felt immediate pain and stopped, not wanting to worsen the wound or anything. His arm was better, but still sore: he took off his vest and lifted his sleeve to look at the wound. It didn’t seem infected.

 

He saw a ray of light and heard some noises through the door; it was pretty quiet, though. He thought about yesterday’s events again and felt his guts contort. All those dead people...And he probably had seen only half of them! He thought of Bullock and wondered whether or not he was still alive. And Alfred? Selina? Jeremiah? Gordon? Were they all alright?  He heard the door open and saw Jerome entering. He was slightly blinded at first by the daylight. His red hair was a bit messy, and he was wearing a simple tee-shirt, obviously, he just woke up. Bruce’s eyes narrowed slightly:

 

“What do you want?”

 

Jerome huffed, half-annoyed, half-amused: “No ‘Hello’?”

 

Bruce didn’t give any reply and just watched him right in the eyes. His captor just theatrically rolled his eyes and crouched to look at him: “If you want to skip the morning talk, fine, I’ll get straight to the point: where is Jeremiah?

 

This was like a punch in the stomach, Bruce’s eyes widened slightly. He wanted to find Jeremiah? Of course he did, he should have expected that. “I don’t know.”

 

“Oh really? You’re not a very good liar, Bruce.”

 

 _The best liars always tell the truth._ That was something Selina told him once. He had a few ideas of where Jeremiah could be, but he couldn’t reveal that to Jerome. He had to find something: “Jeremiah isn’t stupid enough to stay in one place, waiting for you to get him. Last time he called me, he told me he was in a safe place, he didn’t say where, though.”

 

Jerome thought about that. It was logical; in fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if Jeremiah was under police protection. It was very likely for him to go and play the weepy victim to be protected from him. Police protection...He looked at Bruce, and saw fear in the boy’s eyes. Jerome suddenly put his hands against the wall, at each side of Bruce’s head, blocking any chance of exit. The boy backed away as much as he could, feeling almost nauseous. He couldn’t muster the strength to look at him in the eyes anymore. Bruce wasn’t afraid, no, he was terrified.

 

“Oh, come on, Bruce! Look at me.”

 

Bruce tensed even more but he forced himself to stare right in Jerome’s eyes. He couldn’t let fear overtake him, he had to be brave. If he refused to look at him, he would be a coward. Jerome’s eyes had a dark playfulness; he had to escape this, what could he do? Jerome’s cupped the right side of his neck and Bruce hissed as if he got burned.

 

“Let go of me.”

 

“Why would I do that? I’m enjoying myself,” replied the redhead while grazing the skin with his thumb.

 

“I know what you want, and I don’t want it.”

 

Jerome had a malicious smirk. “You were less scared yesterday when you got knives thrown at you. I think I found a big weakness. Tell me, what could I do, now....”

 

He leaned closer and Bruce turned his head away, not wanting this to happen. He heard Jerome laugh at this: “Oh, Bruce! That was a joke! You’re so easy to scare sometimes!”

 

Boiling anger filled the boy, he was tired of those sick games! He abruptly pushed his captor away with both arms. The redhead fell back with a slight yelp of surprise. Bruce jumped on his feet and passed the door. He hardly made a step out of the bathroom when he felt Jerome’s hand catching his arm and pulling him while laughing.

 

“Playing rebellious, Brucie?”

 

“Hum…Boss?” Jerome turned to the person who spoke. It was one of the cultists, who had been ordered to cook. “Breakfast is…is ready.”

 

“Oh!” He turned to Bruce. “We’ll finish that later, I’m hungry.”

 

He released his prisoner who found himself stunned at this behavior. But at least it was over, for now. The redhead looked at him: “Come.” Maybe it was because he didn’t want to take further risks, or because he was hungry, but he did join them to eat.

 

He didn’t utter one word and just listened as they were making plans. He looked around to try to know where he was, but he had no idea. He learned some cultists were in other flats, most of them had been abandoned by terrorized people. He looked around, trying to observe his surroundings, doing anything to take his mind away from what happened. Jerome just played with him…What did he want, really? It seemed like he wanted to kiss him but didn’t really try, so what was it about? They took turns to shower; Bruce also took one quickly, feeling the need to wash himself from all the horrors he experienced. Once he was out, he heard Jerome talking on the phone and his stomach churned.

 

“We are twins, it shouldn’t be too hard to recognize him! The only differences are the glasses and that he is a total bore.” The person on the phone answered something Bruce couldn’t hear. “Nah, though I would like to see him going crazy. But I want you to bring him alive to me, is that clear? I have some business with him.”

 

They would leave again soon, Bruce took the first occasion to go to Jerome and speak with him. He stayed at a safe distance, though, not willing to get cornered again.

 

“Are you really going to kill your own brother?”

 

“I killed my mother and my father, that’s a stupid question!”

 

“Why do you wanna do that? Jeremiah has never been a threat or anything!”

 

Jerome huffed at this. “Are you kidding me? He made sure people would turn against me! Oh, he didn’t need to do that much for my mom and Zack, I have to give them that, they were already fucked up. But he made sure the other kids would hate me even more, he would make sure to look good on my behalf!” He approached him a bit more: “And the worst is that he turned you against me.”

 

Bruce was taken aback at this. What the hell?! “He never ‘turned’ me against you!”

“You hit me because of Jeremiah, and now you’re still protecting him.”

“You were beating him into pulp, I was only trying to stop you! I would have done exactly the same for you if Jeremiah had been the one beating you down!”

Jerome huffed out of amusement, even though his eyes weren’t laughing. “Please, as if Jeremiah could take me!”

“Let’s imagine he could. You know I would have helped you.”

“Really?”

This was enough to infuriate Bruce, his eyes narrowed and he uttered loudly: “If you doubt it, you really have a short memory!”

This reminded was a reminder for Jerome, and a part of him realized he had been unfair. After all, there was one time when Bruce stood up for him even though it was dangerous. Uncle Zack…He smirked evilly. “You know what? You’re right. You did stand up for me when no one did...And I forgot my uncle a bit too much.”

Bruce frowned: “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’ll soon pay a little visit to Uncle Zack. Jeremiah might be smart enough to hide, my uncle won’t.”

Bruce froze, realizing he might have made a mistake reminding Jerome of that. What he said seemed so unfair that he just replied impulsively.

 

“What are you gonna do?”

 

“I always wanted to get revenge against him, for all the time he burned me with bleach, or did other fucked up things like this…” He was speaking with a tight jaw, and no smile. He was angry, the memories hurt and Bruce could understand why. Then, Jerome smirked again hugely, making his prisoner shudder. “But don’t worry, I’ll remain a true professional, I won’t forget the entertainment! I’m starting have new ideas, and those will be awesome!”

 

**O o O**

 

It had been actually easy for Gordon to obtain a permission to get inside Galavan’s Penthouse, Harvey Dent arranged it so they could get inside around noon. Jim, Harvey and the colleagues who came with them could see very soon that Essen’s suspicions were right. The first proof they got was actually one of the maniacs himself, who was hiding in the house. He hadn’t followed Jerome, he was the shiest of the group, and had preferred to stay hidden in Galavan’s place. He tried to put up a fight but got handcuffed and arrested quite easily. They searched to make sure there was no one else but the rest of the flat was empty.

 

“I’ll take him back to the police station and interrogate him,” Harvey suggested.

 

“Alright, I’ll call you if I get anything.”

 

Jim started inspecting Galavan’s desk. He found a safe pretty soon but didn’t know what was in it and what the code was. He got an idea. Lee and Nygma were in here with them, he saw his girlfriend coming toward him:

 

“Jim, we found Arkham uniforms,” she declared

 

“Let me guess: six men and one woman?”

 

“You guessed right. We’ll have to take it to the lab but I think we’ll have enough DNA to prove our point.”

 

“That’s great,” he kissed her with a smile, it was rare for him to smile lately, but she made him brighten. “I found something, but I’ll need Nygma’s help.”

 

“Oh, he is in this room. I’ll gather the weapons in there as well, I guess we’ll also find a lot of fingerprints.”

 

While she went back to work, he went to find Ed.

 

“Would you know by any chance how to unlock a safe without its code?”

 

“It’s definitely one of my abilities,” Nygma said, quite proudly.

 

“Then I’m gonna need you.”

 

The young forensic looked like he just received a Christmas present. Jim couldn’t help but be impressed in fact at Nygma’s ability, he managed to unlock the safe soon enough and Jim got more than he hoped for. Not only there were documents about Arkham’s inmates, but not only. There were documents about Wayne enterprise, but more importantly, about Bruce. And it was quite scary. He knew a private detective work, and it was exactly that. Galavan had hired someone to know where Bruce was going at school, when he would go back at home, if he had any medical record, etc. No mention of Jerome in it, but it seemed like it had been done recently. Bruce told him he had broken his friendship with Jerome some months ago, so, that detective probably started working when Jerome and Bruce stopped seeing each other.

Maybe Jerome was already in jail for killing his mother…Was Galavan aware of this friendship?

 

“Why was he so interested in Bruce?” Jim murmured.

 

“That’s kind of scary,” Nygma murmured, “I mean, an adult gathering infos about a child, it’s really weird…”

 

“Yeah…But whatever Jerome is doing right now, it has nothing to do with Galavan…Come with me, we’ll also inspect his bedroom. Maybe there are things which could help, and with your sense of details, you could spot something.”

 

At the police station, the cops were happy to have at least one small victory: one of the maniacs was now behind bars. It wasn’t much but it was already something. Harvey didn’t feel that victorious, though, especially when he spotted Alfred Pennyworth in there, sitting on a chair. He had been with them on multiple occasion when they were called and was a good help. The old man went to him directly, and he felt his gut tighten. With his years of experience, Harvey was rarely nervous anymore at the idea to confront people, yet this time he did. How could he tell him that he let the boy get hurt?

 

“Sir, I wanted to know if you got any news?”

 

“Well, we did get some. Bruce had been seen alive indeed.”

 

“Really? Where?!”

 

“We lost track of them. Before I tell you anything else, I must ask you something: do you happen to know Theo Galavan?”

 

“Yes, he organized the Gala and he is the one who came home to ask Bruce to participate. I didn’t want him to, but he convinced us…I shouldn’t have listened to him, I know we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but…”

 

“You’ll speak ill of him, believe me. We found proof that he is the one behind all this.”

 

He briefly explained him that one of the maniacs had been found home and how they suspected Galavan to behind the attack of the Gala and even more.

 

“God…This is worse than I thought.”

 

“If you tell me he is the one who persuaded Bruce to come, then it’s another proof.”

 

“Where did you see him? Do you know if he is fine, or not?”

 

“…He has been wounded.”

 

He told Alfred everything, how they tried to save him, and how Bruce found himself standing before a plank to save him. He told him he tried to dissuade him, but the kid still did it. Alfred didn’t even look mad, just desperate.

 

“He…You say it’s his ear...Ears bleed a lot…”

 

“I did everything I could but there were too many of them…”

 

Alfred badly wanted to yell at him, to tell him he screwed up, but it would be useless. It didn’t take an intellectual to guess he was feeling guilty. He had always been collected, it was time to use that quality.

 

“I know that, for now, I just want us to focus on finding him. You caught someone, I heard?”

 

“Yeah, one of the former maniacs.”

 

“I want to help you interrogate him.”

 

In ordinary case, he wouldn’t have let a civilian interrogate a suspect with him. Yet this was Alfred Pennyworth, no ordinary citizen, and in no ordinary times. The butler played the bad cop while Harvey plays the good cop and it works wonderfully. The man was already afraid and quite dim. He didn’t know where Jerome was, and he didn’t know he planned to kill Galavan. He reveals that Bruce Wayne was supposed to die at the hands of Theo and Alfred swore the bastard was lucky that Jerome killed him first.

 

The man told them everything he could remember and more importantly, he also let them know where two of the former maniacs went. If they could catch them, it would be at least that. There was one thing which triggered Harvey’s instincts: the guy said Jerome spoke of releasing snakes on people, and Bullock was pretty sure he would do it indeed. The guy had lived in a circus, he knew how to handle snakes.

 

“Alfred, if I remember well, Bruce told us he and Jerome bonded because of snakes or something like that?”

 

“Indeed, he wanted to know more about those.”

 

He didn’t say anything else. Jerome wanted to use snakes, okay, so what?! So there weren’t that many places where one could find snakes…Maybe they could work on that…His phone rang and he replied in a hurry.

 

“ _Hey, Harvey, it’s Jim_!”

 

“Hey, got anything?”

 

“ _Yep, Jerome had a journal hidden in his room, I’m bringing it at the station. It could help us._ ”

 

**O o O**

**Earlier that day**

 

It was still the morning when they took the first step of the next plan. They had several vans, Bruce and Jerome were in the same one and he redhead was looking at him with amusement. The boy was obviously anxious after hearing what the first part would be.

 

“You really want to rob a gun store?”

 

“We need more supplies and we also need some weapons we don’t possess yet. We could have used underground traffics to get that, but it’s much funnier that way!”

 

“Do you really think it will be easy?”

 

“I don’t like it when it’s too easy. Challenges are entertaining. Beside, I have a way to distract the guy inside…”

 

He took a knife and showed it to Bruce before gripping the back of his head with his other hand to stop him from backing away. The boy tried to struggle when his captor approached the knife.

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

“Don’t move, I wouldn’t want to damage you more than necessary.”

 

With that, Jerome made a cut on the boy’s temple, not deep, but enough to draw out blood. He retreated the blade and released Bruce’s head.

 

“You’re going to pull a little act, I fear none of my followers look innocent enough to do it. Oh, and if you don’t obey, we’ll resort to a much more dangerous and brutal method.”

 

“You’ll kill people anyway.”

 

“Surely, but today, I’m really giving you a chance to save as many people as you can. Of course we won’t make it easy for you,” Jerome explained.

 

“Why would you do that?” Bruce said, still shivering as blood was smearing his temple and leaking on his skin.

 

“The challenge is even bigger. And I think you’ll eventually understand that way.”

 

“Understand what?”

 

“That no matter what you do, people will die and that all your efforts are meaningless; that in the end, the sheep get slaughtered and you can do nothing against it.”

 

“That’s not true!”

 

“We’ll see that. For now, you’ll do as I say.”

 

A few minutes later, Lloyd, the man holding the gun store heard the door open and was surprised to see a dark-haired kid enter. What the hell?! Before he could speak, the boy went to him and Lloyd saw blood on his face.

 

“Please! I need help!”

 

“What’s wrong?” Asked the man. He left the counter to look at the boy’s face. “You got attacked?”

 

The boy just nodded and the man realized his face was familiar. Why? The kid suddenly grabbed both his arms and looked at him with heart-wrenching eyes: “I’m sorry.”

 

Before he could ask why, the door opened again and he saw a red-haired guy enter with a gun. Lloyd paled as he recognized that guy from the news: Jerome Valeska! Fuck! Bruce released the man’s arms and placed himself before him, shielding him. The other cultists entered the store, threatening the guy as well.

 

“Well, hello! One move and you’re dead, jackass!”

 

“Stay behind me,” Bruce murmured to the man. The cultists couldn’t shoot him, Jerome had forbidden them. Now, maybe Jerome would take a shot, but he doubted it.

 

“The fuck is this!”

 

“I’m obliged to do this, if you want to survive, stay behind me,” Bruce insisted.

 

Terrified, Lloyd didn’t dare to move an inch. What the hell was that, who was this kid? Why was this happening to him?! Hell! He had a gun under the counter, but he couldn’t reach it, and those lunatic would shoot him if he tried anything! Even if he wanted to move, he felt unable to do so. Jerome looked at them and laughed at Bruce’s stubborn expression. He approached them and he could see the man trying to hide his terror behind an angry frown but it was hardly working. He had his gun pointed in his direction , aiming at nothing in particular.

 

“Is this your new protégé?”

 

“Don’t do this.”

 

“How would you stop me?”

 

“You would shoot him without hesitation; but you wouldn’t take the risk to kill me.”

 

“I’m excellent with guns, Bruce, I could perfectly shot his head without hurting you. How would you stop me?”

 

He aimed at the man’s head and Bruce lunged at him. Seizing Jerome’s wrist, he made him shot toward the floor instead. The redhead smirked at him and another gunshot was heard. A scream was heard and Bruce looked behind him to see the man falling down, blood oozing from his side. He rushed to him and he couldn’t help but remember the time Alfred had been stabbed. He put his hands on the man’s wound to apply pressure. Surely someone would call the police soon, the man might survive, his eyes were still open.

 

“Well done!” Jerome congratulated the one who shot. “Got what we wanted?”

 

“Here, boss!”

 

Bruce didn’t know what they were talking about, he was focusing on the man, and trying to watch out for any other attempt to kill the man. He felt blood on his hands but didn’t think of it. He felt tears prickling his eyes, but a little voice told him he had to control himself. _Speak to him!_

 

“Calm down, you’ll be alright, an ambulance will come, keep your hand on your wound.”

 

Lloyd’s breathing was erratic, but at least he was breathing. It seemed like an eternity before they exited, even though they had remained in the store only a few minutes. Casey seized his arm and pulled him on his feet. The young man was about to shot the guy again but Bruce stopped him and pushed him toward the exit. It made Casey laugh.

 

“You’re stubborn! He’s probably gonna die anyway!”

 

“I don’t care what you say!”

 

Casey just shrugged, it wasn’t time to fight, they had to leave. They got back into the van and left. Bruce tried not to cry before them. His hands were trembling and it was only now that he realized that his hands were dampened with blood. Once again, he remembered when Alfred was stabbed. He had cried freely, but now he couldn’t. He could feel eyes on him, Jerome was probably waiting for the moment he would break. There was no way he would do that!

 

“He is gonna die, you know…Pretty ironic, being unable to defend himself, in a store full of gun! Isn’t it hilarious when you think about it!”

 

Bruce rose his head, his face serious and his eyes full of defiance and stubbornness. Jerome couldn’t help but smile at this; he felt proud once again. His friend didn’t realize that yet, but they were actually very alike in some ways. Bruce’s eyes fell on what they robbed and he felt a jolt of fear. There were guns but also a load of grenades. What would they do with that?

 

It was only hours later that Bruce understood. They stopped before Gotham’s zoo. Jerome tied his hands behind his back.

 

“We didn’t take a strike in the richest streets of Gotham, except maybe for the Gala. They probably think we wouldn’t dare to attack them again, but we’ll correct that. I don’t think there will be many people in there, but it’ shouldn’t be deserted either. There will be employees at the very least.”

 

“What’s the point of that?!”

 

“To remind them that death is for everyone. Their money won’t be able to save them. You can try, though, if you manage to free yourself.”

 

He giggled and exited the van along with the others. They slammed the door, leaving him alone. He saw the seat rail, it was small but sharp. He started rubbing the ropes as quickly as he could against the metal. He heard an explosion. Then gunshots and screams. His stomach quivered and he went even faster.

 

The van wasn’t locked, they needed to open the door promptly to leave, so they would never lock the doors. It was at least that! He felt the ropes starting to loosen and he managed to get free. He opened the door but threw an eye outside before going out. He had to be careful not to receive a bullet; the two security guards at the entrance had been killed by a grenade. No one seemed to shoot in his direction, he rushed outside. He tried not to look at the two corpses in the entrance and saw people running in panic, pursued by the psychos. He saw a teenage girl being grabbed by the hair by Derek, one of the most brutal followers. Pinning the girl against a wall, he started to touch her. Bruce ran and hit his neck, taking him by surprise. He yelped, startled, and tried to grab Bruce. He released the girl in the process, and she ran away.

 

“You fucking…”

 

Bruce escaped from him and just ran to another of the followers, a bigger teen pursuing an old man. The big boy pushed the man down and was about to shoot him when Bruce threw himself at him, and disarmed him by surprise. The guy tried to get his gun back but Bruce hit him hard on the head with it. He hit him again violently and this time, the teen fell on the ground, knocked out. The old man got up on his feet and Bruce yelled at him: “Run!”

 

The old man left as fast as he could and tried to hide. Bruce suddenly received a punch in the stomach and was pushed down. The gun slipped from his hand because of the shock. He looked up to see Derek taking the gun back and towering over him.

 

“You’re lucky Jerome forbad us to kill you!” he leaned toward him a bit with a sick smirk. “I’m not repulsed by boys. If you stop me again, I’ll take it on you when Jerome isn’t looking!”

 

The man angrily left and Bruce got up from the ground. He wasn’t sure what he meant, but it scared him, he knew it was nothing good. That guy was strong, too strong for him…He suddenly saw another psycho who was pursuing a family with a machete. He grabbed the older girl by the arm which held the weapon and pulled on it violently. She gasped and looked at him with outrage.

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

“Let them go!”

 

“Make me!”

 

She released herself from his grasp and ran to her preys, cackling like crazy. He pursued her and managed to catch her back as she was trying to murder a teenage boy. She sliced through the boy’s shoulder, making him fell on his knees when Bruce grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her back toward him. She turned round as he was pulling her back, suddenly grabbed his shoulders and made him swirl along with her. Gasping, he released himself from her hold. She jumped again at the boy who was trying to get on his feet and plunged her machete in his flesh again. Bruce caught her arm but not in time. The boy just fell limp on the ground. A bullet was shot in his head, much to Bruce and the girl’s surprise. They saw Laura with a gun, smiling hugely while hopping toward them. Bruce was speechless and frozen.

 

“Got your fun, Iris?” Asked she to the girl Bruce was holding.

 

“Strangely, yes! But you could have let me finish that one!”

 

“Oh, come on, that way we murdered him together!”

 

“Okaaayyy.”

 

It was chilling to hear them talk like that, as if they had some casual little fun while they actually murdered a boy of their age. He really thought he would be able to save him…He took a look at the entrance and saw that a handful of psychos posted themselves there, stopping people from exiting the place and watching out for the police. He had to take them down! He wouldn’t be able to save anyone if people couldn’t exit the place! But they were five, and he was alone!

 

A hand grabbed him before he could try anything; he turned round to see Jerome with a chilling smirk and blood on his face.

 

“Come with me! I don’t want my best friend to miss what’s coming next!” He cackled and passed an arm around his shoulder in a possessive gesture.

 

“What are you gonna do?”

 

“This city is becoming a big circus, and the animals are about to perform!”

 

Bruce’s eyes widened as he saw the psychos forcing two lions to run toward the exit, using electrical sticks usually used by guardians. Jerome held him tightly and murmured in his ear:

 

“And you don’t want to miss the next number, it should bring you some memories!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are very appreciated! Hope you liked that chapter!


	10. Snake Charmer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you're doing okay, that you enjoyed the last chapter and that you'll enjoy that one as well. It's a mix of brutality and softness.

**Past**

 

Jerome’s mother wasn’t in her caravan, probably fucking somewhere with some random dude or drinking. The redhead didn’t know and didn’t care. All that mattered was that he and Bruce could hang around in peace and take the snakes without being annoyed. The dark-haired boy was always excited to hold them whenever Jerome allowed it.

 

“I wish the knife-thrower wasn’t training already,” Bruce admitted.

 

“Yeah! He complained to my mom again because we borrowed his knives. Thankfully enough, she was too drunk to understand what he was saying!”

 

“I could bring some knives from my house.”

 

“Nah, old pal needs to learn what sharing means! And it’s not as if we kept those anyway!”

 

Now, Jerome had a point, they would never keep any of the knives, nor do any damage. His friend opened the snake cage and Bruce’s hand went to grab Dolly, the white boa. He remembered Jerome’s explanation about grabbing snakes: _You have to let them know you’re coming. Don’t speak to her, snakes can’t hear us talking. Let them be aware of your presence first, so they won’t be surprised and scared. A startled snake is dangerous._

 

Jerome grabbed the cobra, it was one of his favorite: “How are you, Jazz? They can spat venom in your eyes, did you know that?”

 

“Yes and even if you survive, you’ll probably go blind. You say that one still have his venom?” Asked Bruce.

 

“Nah, I was kidding when I told you that. You never hold him.”

 

Jerome took away Dolly and put Jazz on the boy’s laps as well. Bruce was a bit surprised but received the cobra nonetheless. He gently handled the animal and crossed the cobra’s eyes. It had a fascinating glance, and it was chilling to think this beast could kill him, make him blind…The snake clung a bit to him, crawling on his arm and strangely enough, Bruce enjoyed that.

 

“He likes you,” whispered Jerome.

 

The dark-haired boy smiled to his friend and watched the boa crawling on Jerome’s shoulders. It was quite fascinating to see the older boy like that, so at ease with beasts who would usually scare people. Bruce allowed the cobra to crawl on his shoulder before taking him off and giving it to Jerome.

 

“Can you hold him?”

 

His friend nodded; Bruce took his school notebook and a pencil out of his school bag. Jerome wondered what he was doing when he saw Bruce opening the notebook. Beside his class notes were many small drawings, made with a simple pen. Each one of those represented something grim or creepy, monsters, strange figures and even tombstones. There was some kind of weird Cheshire cat with a huge, twisted smile.

 

“Cool! Didn’t know you could draw.”

 

“A bit. Some of my classmates were creped out by it. Tommy for example.”

 

“He spoke to you again?” Rage started to rise at the idea. To think this little punk could touch his only friend once more! If it was the case, he and Bruce would pay him another visit.

 

“No, he doesn’t dare to!” Bruce replied with a huge smile. “But I saw him glancing at my notebook once and he was even more scared of me!”

 

Jerome giggled: “Good! You’re drawing Jazz?”

 

“He has a perfect head…” His face darkened a bit. “My teachers also saw it, they even called Alfred and suggested I should talk to a shrink.”

 

Jerome huffed at this: “Seriously?! For a few drawings? You really live in a world of uptight snobs!”

 

Bruce had a little smile. It wasn’t untrue, and he was glad to hear someone say that. “They kept asking why I was doing such things, all the while asking if I wanted to talk about ‘what happened’ and all. They didn’t even have the guts to directly speak of my parents’ death!”

 

“I guess they call that delicacy or some shit like that. So they basically tried to do some cheap psychoanalysis on you.”

 

“Yes, it was pretty much that. Alfred doesn’t care that much, at least. I guess he can understand.”

 

“That you just need to let those thoughts out of your head, otherwise it feels like all of this would burst.”

 

“Yeah, pretty much. It just feels good to do it, to let some things out. I tried to tell them it wasn’t much, that it made me feel good, but they kept looking at me as if I was going to break or something.”

 

“A bunch of hypocrites! Always acting like little saints.”

 

Still drawing, Bruce asked: “What do you mean by ‘hypocrite’?”

 

“We all have a dark side in us. From the street punks to the snobs who pretend to be shocked by this,” he showed Bruce’s drawing, “we all have something dark in us. Impulses and wants. People deny it to pretend they’re good, to pretend they’re civilized, but underneath, we’re all savages. Those people aren’t afraid for you, they’re afraid of you, because you don’t hesitate to show what’s in you.”

 

Bruce shrugged: “I guess we all have a dark side, but there are good people.”

 

“Trust me, in the end, there is hardly any.”

 

“There is! We all have a dark side, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to do good.”

 

“Nah…”

 

“Yes!”

 

Jerome laughed at this and messed up Bruce’s hair, the boy swatted his hand but was smiling.

 

“You’re freaking stubborn!”

 

“So are you!” Bruce giggled. “And stop messing my hair, you’re distracting me, I’m almost done.”

 

“Oh, I’m really sorry…” Jerome put back the snakes in their cage and suddenly grasped the notebook from Bruce’s laps to run away with it. Bruce yelped and rushed after him. The redhead was laughing while running, he made the turn of a caravan and Bruce made the turn in the other direction. They collided and the dark-haired boy grabbed the notebook. Jerome didn’t let go easily, laughing all the while, and Bruce was giggling too. In the end, they were rolling down the ground, still trying to get the notebook. Bruce was straddling Jerome, trying to keep him down, and although he had more strength, the redhead gave in.

 

“Okay, let’s life decide. Will see in the future who’s right, after all.”

 

“Yes, we will. But for now, I won!”

 

He tore the notebook away from Jerome’s hand and ran away with it. 

**O o O**

 

**Present**

 

Bruce saw they were leading lions and other dangerous beasts out of their cages and toward the city. Releasing them on the citizen was probably hilarious in their opinion. The boy saw someone being maimed savagely by two of the psychos and tried to get away from Jerome but the redhead pulled him back, his grip on his arm still so tight.

 

“They’re already dead, you stubborn mule! If you want to save someone, it’s that way!”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

He let out a laugh and turned to Laura and Iris who were walking at their side: “Do you like snakes, girls?”

 

“I love them!”

 

“I prefer spiders, but snakes are fine.”

 

“Well, you see, Ladies, I grew up with snakes and I know a lot about them. I taught some of it to Brucie here, do you think he can handle this?”

 

“Oh Gosh, I’m already loving it!”

 

The girl shrieked in joy as they saw what he was talking about, while Bruce was simply horrified. A man had been tied and locked up in a cage; the psychos were forcing employees to put every snake they could find in it.

 

The man looked terrified as the beasts were starting to pile around him and slide over his body. It was incredibly sick to see this person in the middle on those intertwined snakes, so scared, while the rest of the crowd was sharing for it and taking bet on which snake would bit first.

 

Bruce rushed toward the cage and went through the door, which hadn’t been locked up yet. He ignored the ruckus made by the crowd and went to the man who had an imploring look.

 

“Don’t move,” Bruce instructed, “whatever you do, don’t do anything which could scare them.”

 

The guy gave the ghost of a nod. Bruce advanced slowly, the snakes were surely tamed, but with all the agitation around, they were probably under stress, and would be ready to bit at the strangers. He tried to remember everything Jerome taught him and went toward the beasts. He was pretty sure to know which ones were venomous or not, the ones with venom would be his priority first. He saw a viper very close to the man’s face. He took off his jacket and threw it down. It landed on the viper and other snakes who remained under it, scared. A big boa was on the man, he knew how to handle those, remembering what Jerome taught him.

 

The redhead had to admit, he was enjoying this, yet something was bothering him. He didn’t want Bruce to die already. But well, if there was no risk, there was no fun. Anyway, there were probably anti-venoms somewhere. The dark-haired boy showed his hand to the boa who looked at him but didn’t make any move to attack. _Confidence, you must show confidence_. He grabbed the boa who tried to get away and lifted it away from the man’s body. Two others, a python and a green one were starting to slide on his body.

 

PAM!

 

A very small explosion. The guy jumped in fright. Out of fear, one snake bit him. The man yelled in horror and pain and started to struggle like crazy. Laughters echoed at this.

 

“No! Don’t!”

 

PAM!

 

Another firecracker was thrown by a maniac. Another snake got scared and bit the man.

 

Then another.

 

It went all so fast, before the boy could react, they were all attacking the man, even the snakes under Bruce’s jacket moved out and started to attack. Bruce could only back away before they bit him, still holding the boa. He threw the beasts on other snakes near him in order to distract them. He wanted to do something, but it was too late, they all bit him and Bruce didn’t know how to handle that. He looked around for any tool but there was nothing. How could he…

 

A hand suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the exit. He yelped to see one of the zoo employees, pale and squirming.

 

“Come with me!”

 

“But…”

 

“They’ll kill me if I don’t get you out!”

 

He pulled Bruce hard and the boy allowed him to do so, still looking at the man in the cage, though. As he exited the cage, Jerome took him by the arm and dragged him along to stand in front of the crowd. Bruce winced and yelped, Jerome had taken hold of his wounded arm and it was still hurting.

 

“Come on, let’s watch this! Do you think he’ll die devoured or smothered to death by the python?”

 

Bruce tried to pull on his arm, but it only made him feel more pain.

 

“You’re sick!”

 

“Oh, glad you finally figured that out!”

 

“Let me go!”

 

“You lost! He got bitten, he is going to die! See, in spite of all your efforts, a few firecrackers were enough to beat you! And you don’t believe me when I say it’s all a joke?!”

 

Bruce was about to respond when they heard sirens. “The cops!”

 

Still holding Bruce, Jerome pulled him toward the exit. The boy wondered why they were going right in the cops’ direction, but when he heard explosions, he understood. The guys guarding the entrance had some of the stolen grenades, and they just threw those at the cops’ cars. Jerome was laughing while running, and Bruce prayed Jim Gordon wasn’t among them. The redhead released Bruce and went right to the entrance to throw a grenade as well.

 

The first police cars had been taken by surprise, but the ones behind managed to stop and now the cops were shooting. Taking cover behind a car, Jerome advanced and shot a cop firing at them before throwing a grenade toward them. Screams, fire, metal and pieces of flesh filled his vision. His entire being was filled with so much energy! That was what he wanted, that was his own Eden! He advanced furthermore and threw another grenade on the road. Cars crashed into one another, those which weren’t already burning started to get devoured by flames and the cops were getting overwhelmed. They were numerous, but they hadn’t expected the maniacs to have grenades.

 

Jerome purposefully sent a grenade toward a car, as close as possible to the engine. The explosion was fueled by the car’s gas and it was even more intense. Fire! Fire everywhere! That was the true meaning of life! He loved to see all of this burn suddenly! Fire! He wanted more! He wanted…

 

Two arms encircled his chest, pulling him away and stopping any other actions. Jerome managed to free himself, although the hold was stronger than he expected. With a jab in the ribs, Jerome made Bruce release his hold and turned round to seize the boy’s collar.

 

“Not enjoying the show? Because I am!”

 

“Let them…”

 

SLAP! Bruce’ head snapped to the side as Jerome struck him. Still holding his collar, the redhead pulled him toward his followers.

 

“Everything must end! Let’s go, guys!”

 

He wasn’t even really mad at Bruce, this would have had to stop at a point, they couldn’t stay here forever. Yet he had no wish to hear him rant about leaving people alone. He pushed the boy in one of the vans and they left before any further reinforcement could come.

 

“Stay on your guards, other police cars could spot us,” Jerome reminded the ones in the van with him.

 

“It was just exhilarating, today!” One of them exclaimed. When I think we released lions in the streets! And the police cars which exploded!”

 

“That was all beautiful,” Dwight added. “I loved to see that guy getting devoured by snakes!”

 

They went back at the building they occupied that morning, some of the psychos partied, and Bruce was locked in a room. At least he had a bed. He didn’t know whose room this was, the room of a man, probably. He didn’t know, and he would probably never know. He just hoped that man didn’t get killed. He eventually fell asleep, though his vision was filled with the horrors he saw today. He got only nightmares that night.

 

**O o O**

 

The streets were strangely silent the next morning. The sky was of a light grey which made the city look even gloomier.

 

Jerome was gone, he had left with some followers to prepare their next show. Bruce didn’t go with them, his captor had left him with a few psychos who didn’t accompany him and who had to rest and heal some wounds. He soon grew tired to be in the middle of them, to hear their ranting and their fighting and all...So he had taken the fire escape and made it to the roof.

 

This wasn’t the highest building in Gotham, far from it, but it still offered an impressive view. A few birds were around. Did they feel that chaos was reigning? Or did they feel above that?

 

Bruce walked on the border; it was quite thin, but not that much. It reminded him of the times he and Selina would practice balance in Manor Wayne, walking on the hand railing. He was scared of heights back then. When Bruce looked down, he didn’t really felt fear anymore. In fact, he kinda felt good. In spite of his dreadful situation, in spite of the horrors and the danger, he couldn’t help but feel good right now that he was walking on the edge; he felt alive.

 

He looked at the next building. It wasn’t that far…After he and Selina had ran away from hired assassins, he had trained to improve himself at jumping. He could make it…He went back on the roof and started to warm up. He had to train, he didn’t know what awaited him next, he needed to make sure he was ready. He wouldn’t have so many occasions to be alone and practice as much as he wanted. When he made the jump, he felt like flying. It felt incredibly good, it seemed like time stopped and yet he reached the border in no time. He almost missed it. He almost missed but he made it! He realized he could really have escaped, it would actually be so easy to get away…But he couldn’t. At the second Jerome would realize he disappeared, the bomb would blow. He heard Alfred’s voice telling him that he had to make sure the bomb was no threat anymore before escaping. In the meantime, he had to train more.

 

He made three other jumps and landed more smoothly than the first time. Catching up his breath, he laid on the ground and started to do sit-ups. Push-ups were out of questions with his wounded arm, but at least he could do that. He did other exercises like this for some times and eventually took a break. He didn’t know how much time he spent there but it felt good to be finally alone and do something familiar. For a moment he had been able to take his mind away from Jerome. Practicing would help him physically and mentally. Yet he wasn’t out of the bushes, far from it.

 

He sat on the border, his legs dangling above the street far below him. He was looking at the city, and all he could see was a big monster with crimes and victims. What was Jerome doing right now? He put a hand on his arm; it was still hurting him, but it was already better. Same for his ear, he had to admit that Doc’s presence was really a good thing. He wished Alfred was the one taking care of him, though. He realized it was the fourth day of his captivity…The evening of the Gala, then robbery along with the cops’ massacre, yesterday with the snakes and today…The electricity was still out in a big part of the city, Bruce had heard that some of the people who were supposed to fix it had been attacked. He wondered where Alfred was in all that, he was surely worried about him. And Gordon…Was he among the cops who went at the zoo yesterday?

 

Memories of his guardian passed through his mind until he suddenly heard a noise, as if something had landed near him. He turned his head to see it wasn’t something, but someone. His eyes widened as he saw who it was.

 

“Selina!”

 

“Bruce!”

 

He stood up and they both rushed toward each other. Selina would rarely show her feelings, but this time she hugged him freely. He embraced her tightly; it was so good to see a friend! He looked at her face, almost unable to believe she was here. She was alarmed at the sight of his face and ear.

 

“What happened? Why are you here? You have to come with me, quickly!”

 

“No! I can’t, I have to stay!”

 

“Why?! It wasn’t easy to find you, and now you’re…”

 

“There is a bomb, Selina.”

 

He explained her everything as shortly as possible. “That’s why I can’t leave, not until the bomb has been found.”

 

“Is he seriously threatening to blow another part of the city just to stop you from escaping?! What the hell does he want with you?”

 

“He wants me to become like them. Selina, I don’t think the cops know about the bomb, you have to find Gordon and tell him about it,...If he is alive…Selina, do you know if he is alive? And Alfred?”

 

“No, I didn’t see them since the Gala, I was searching for you. I’ll search for them and check on them.”

 

“Thank you. But, be careful, only the cops can know, if Jerome discover I told someone, he could do something wrong.”

 

“Got it, I’ll tell Gordon this mustn’t leak. You have no idea where it is?”

 

“Absolutely none. Jerome won’t tell me, of course. But…Maybe one of his followers would, if I can manipulate them into doing that.”

 

She couldn’t believe it. She had seen some nut jobs but Jerome was really above them all. “Be careful…Are they gonna stay here for a long time?”

 

“I don’t know.” Noises were heard from beneath, reminding Bruce of the danger. “Please, Selina, leave! They can’t see you here!”

 

“Yeah…Hold on, okay? I’m sure they’re alright.”

 

He nodded and she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Then, she left as quickly as she came. He smiled at the sight of her, his head spinning a bit. She was alive, she was safe and sane…It was so good to know that! And she kissed him! He looked at her disappearing. She was going to tell Gordon, and if the man could find the bomb, then he would be able to try something. Could he make one of the cultist talk? But even if he discovered where it was, how would he be able to communicate with the police again? Wait, but if Selina told Gordon she saw him here, the cops would come! Oh Gosh, how would that turn out?!

 

He stood still, looking at the city while thinking; he was plunged in those thoughts when he heard a metallic noise followed by a voice which was too familiar now:

 

“So what’s your next plan, mister escape artist?!”

 

He turned to face Jerome who was walking at a fast pace toward him, smirking ferociously. Bruce did his best not to show his fear, but he hoped Selina was far enough already. Instead he gave him an annoyed look: “I’m not trying to escape.”

 

His captor reached him and grabbed the back of his neck brutally and tightly. The boy yelped in pain and grabbed his wrist to try to release himself. Jerome’s fingers dug into his skin painfully.

 

“What are you doing here, then?!”

 

Fear grew in him: he wasn’t expecting such a reaction! “I just wanted to be alone! Anyway, you have a bomb, remember?”

 

Jerome gave him an icy smirk and leaned toward him, looking straight into his eyes: “If I discover you did anything, any trick, I will make you pay. Got it?”

 

“Yes, now let go!”

 

Bruce finally pulled hard enough to free himself from his grasp. He backed away from Jerome slowly and sat again. He was shaking slightly and his stomach hurt; this had been scary, yet he couldn’t show he was afraid. Jerome sat at his side and continued to stare at him intensely.

 

“I guess you rested well since you’re wandering alone.”

 

“Do you really need to act so defensive just because I got on the roof?!”

 

“I know you want to leave.”

 

“It doesn’t matter whether I want to leave or not, you have a bomb.”

 

Jerome seemed to relax a bit, at least he didn’t grab Bruce’s neck again. The dark-haired boy took a deep breath and rubbed himself to sooth the pain. Jerome watched him, they were silent but he wasn’t bored, not at all. There was something fascinating to see Bruce like that: he loved to watch the way the boy reacted to pain, the way he was trying to stand strong in spite of everything, he loved to try his limits slowly. He couldn’t get tired of that.

 

“Well, I guess I can understand you wanted to go up here and look at the sky. It’s a pretty romantic view, isn’t it?” He said in a fake-melancholic tone followed by a mocking smile. “Should I see a message here?”

 

“Shut up! There is nothing romantic here, and if you think so, you’re screwed up,” the boy growled while avoiding his stare, obviously uneasy and angry.

 

“Oh! Someone is a bit judgmental.”

 

“You pushed me against a wall and tried to molest me once. I think I can allow myself to be judgmental.”

 

His gut contorted; it was the first time he spoke directly of this since he got captured. He feared it but on the other hand he couldn’t let that tension linger, he had to know what to expect. Jerome smirked.

 

“Admit it, it was somehow pleasant,” Jerome murmured.

 

“No it wasn’t! I’ll never like you that way, can’t you understand that?! If that’s what you want, you’ll be disappointed. And if you think of forcing me…”

 

His captor huffed in amusement, interrupting him: “Bruce, do I look like some perv? No. I want you in my life, one way or another; it can be as my friend, it can be otherwise. It’s not what really matters.”

 

He started to mess his hair fondly but Bruce swatted his hand away.

 

“Then why do you touch me all the time?!”

 

“To remind myself that you’re really here; I missed you.”

 

This sounded so genuine that Bruce looked at him once more with astonishment. Jerome’s face was actually quite serious for once, with only the ghost of a grin.

 

“Arkham’s doctors gave me meds which would make me hallucinate. I would often see you, and it seemed real. But each time I would reach out to you, I could feel you were nothing in my hands.”

 

Bruce still seemed dubitative, the redhead tilted his head: “You don’t believe me?”

 

“I know you try to manipulate me. It’s kind of hard to know what I should believe or not.”

 

“You know me, Bruce. I never lied to you, never. Jeremiah did when he pretended that I tried to set his bed on fire. But look at the facts: I told you your money didn’t matter to me, and it’s the case. I told you I was weird and that there was something dark in me. I told you I wouldn’t let you go, and you see now how much I meant it. You’re the first person who made me feel appreciated, and you’re the first and only person I truly want to keep around. So I mean it when I say I missed you.”

 

He was incredibly angry at Jerome for everything he did. So why his words touched him so much that his throat tightened and his eyes almost watered? Bruce closed his eyes and sighed: “You could have simply ignored her. Or walk away from her.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Your mother!” He shifted slightly to turn toward Jerome. “Instead of killing her, you could have called social services or something! She was going to end miserable anyway! And you could have just ignored your brother too, I never intended to let you down or anything! You were my best friend, not him! I liked you when you were still the Jerome who made me laugh, the one with who I was learning cool things and trying risky stuff and with whom I fought bullies. Why did you become like that?! You could have done many things without ever being a criminal! And I would have been happy to be a part of that.”

 

Somehow, it reached something in Jerome; he was a bit touched by this. For once he didn’t smile crazily and didn’t look angry either.  

 

“Because that’s who I am. You couldn’t see it back then, you just saw the inoffensive stuff, like the child you were. But I can’t run away from that, I don’t want to. You won’t be able to run away from it either…It’s a nice discourse you have, though, I must admit it.”

 

Bruce sighed and looked at the city again. “You’ll just get killed in the end.”

 

“No, there is a new order coming. People will learn how to be free…”

 

“Jerome this will never happen! You know it, but you don’t care that this is going nowhere! Going somewhere isn’t even in your plans, isn’t it? What if I never actually break into madness as you hope?”

 

“We’ll see. That could actually be interesting. Anyway, I’ll find a way to keep you around. I have to.”

 

Bruce answered nothing, he just sighed again and stood to go back inside. Hopefully, no one would be in the room he currently occupied. Before he could go away, he heard Jerome’s voice again:

 

“If I was to die, would you feel at least a bit sad?”

 

He looked at him and for a very short time, he saw a hint of the old Jerome. “Yes.”

 

The redhead was about to speak again when they heard something and saw a female cultist coming up the stairs with a large smile. “Boss! Look what we found!”

 

Bruce eyes widened as he saw a little girl appearing, eyes wet with tears, followed by a little boy, even younger, who was crying as well. Behind them, Derek appeared with a gun, obviously the one who threatened them to climb. Kids…Oh no!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rooftop scene is one of my favorite, one of the first I wrote when I began this fic. Don't hesitate to comment!


	11. Clowns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!

“Well, what do we have here…” Jerome sneered.

 

Bruce’s breath was cut off. Kids…Oh hell! His blood ran cold, he hoped for a mere second that maybe Jerome would be more lenient toward them because they were so young, even younger than he, but his expression spoke otherwise. He advanced toward them with a sick grin, looking like the Devil. More and more cultists were getting on the roof, obviously wanting to know what was going to happen. Bruce rushed toward him and Jerome grabbed him by the arm before he could do anything.

 

“Don’t worry, Brucie, I’m gonna kill them, not right now at least; I just wanna get to know our little friends.” He turned to the kids again. “So, what are you two doing here?”

 

The little girl was shaking badly but she managed to answer: “We *sniff* lost *sniff* our…” she sobbed “parents…”

 

“Oh, isn’t it sad?!” Jerome mockingly moaned. “Well, to be fair, kid, I never ask the name of people I kill, or maim, or whatever, so...I have no idea whether we killed them or not!” He shrugged and got more serious. “But I can understand, really. You know kids, I lost my parents too. I just couldn’t remember where I put their corpses!”

 

This made the kids cry even more and the psychos around laugh. Jerome continued: “Nah, just kidding: I perfectly know where I put their corpses. But that doesn’t solve one problem: what will I do with you? As you can see, we aren’t exactly a day care!”

 

Bruce placed himself between Jerome and the kids: “Let them go! They are kids, there is no merit in killing them, and you know it!”

 

“Oh, so the little wannabe hero wants to save some children! So dramatic! Two weeping orphans, one little hero and a big bad villain. No, seriously, that could be one of those cheesy blockbusters! But let me tell you one thing, Bruce, even if you win, someone will die horrifically in any case.”

 

“It’s almost like a Disney movie going trash,” someone said with enthusiasm.

 

“Fuck it!” Someone growled.

 

That last comment silenced several people and Jerome looked at the person who said that. It was a bald guy who didn’t expect to be the center of attention. Jerome’s smirk grew bigger, but he was angry.

 

“What is it? Do you have something to say?”

 

“Hum…No.”

 

“Oh, come on, you weren’t afraid to speak, you should go on and tell your mind.”

 

“It’s just that…Why should we keep him around? I mean, he isn’t useful at all! If anything, we killed less people because of him.”

 

“Are you contesting me?”

 

His expression was one of a predator, and everyone knew that guy was in trouble. The man looked even more nervous and tried to explain: “Not at all, I was just asking, I mean, you’re the boss, clearly, I’m not questioning that,” he said hurriedly. “I just wondered if taking that kid with us was really useful…”

 

“It is, it’s fun,” a woman replied. “It’s entertainment.”

 

“But we spared people we could have killed!”

 

“Derek, you’re sad and pathetic. There is no art in what you do. Just killing people like that is fun but we can’t limit ourselves to that. You need to have an edge, ambition and creativity! Giving him a chance to saves lives add much more suspense and tension! It makes the killing even more thrilling. If the result is guaranteed, it’s tasteless. We are the villains here, and great villains doesn’t fear challenges, they seek those. It’s the only way to improve.”

 

The cultists murmured to one another in approval, once again their chief showed he had a superior mind.

 

“But…”

 

“You have no right to contest Jerome, he is our leader!” Dwight declared.

 

“You’re really slow!” Jerome continued. “Okay, maybe a little demonstration will help you understand…Bruce? You want a chance to save them? Do something bold.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Show us again that you can face danger, that you can make us thrill. Show to those who didn’t understand, why an uncertain issue is much more exciting. If you’re willing to put your life in danger for them, I’ll give you an opportunity.”

 

Everyone was looking at him, curious at what he would do. The two kids especially were looking at him with hope, terrorized. Bruce thought for a second, and knew what to do. He didn’t know if that would be enough, but he had to try.

 

“Okay, there might be something.”

 

He took some steps back and then started to run as fast as possible. Jerome was as surprised as the rest of the cultists: “What the…” He tensed a bit as he saw Bruce running toward the edge. Then everyone was stunned when the boy jumped. For a second it seemed like time stopped. They all ran with excitation to see whether he would crash or survive. For a moment, while he was in the air, he forgot the horror of his situation. All he felt was the adrenaline, the excitement of life and death hanging. It was even more exciting than earlier. He landed perfectly and heard loud cheers.

 

“Fuck! He did it!”

 

“What the hell is that kid?”

 

“I don’t know but he’s not one of those rich asses I met in my job!”

 

“Of course not,” Jerome declared above everyone. “Otherwise, I would have never gotten any interest in him.”

 

Bruce heard some of that, he could hear the enthusiasm in their voice and the smile vanished entirely. Was he becoming part of this group? No, that was nonsense. He would never be like them. He stood up and turned round. Jerome was too far to allow him to see his expression, but he knew he had enjoyed that.

 

“Is that enough for you?” He yelled at his address with some smugness.

 

Jerome smirked and waved his hand to tell him to come back.

 

“Let’s see if you can do it a second time!”

 

Bruce looked behind him and stepped back. Everyone backed away to leave him room to land and watched in expectation. He looked only at Jerome; it was between the two of them. He ran once more and felt the thrill of being in the air. It felt like flying, he couldn’t get tired of it. He landed near Jerome, stood up and looked at him right in the eyes.

 

“You felt that thrill, didn’t you? Let them go.”

 

“We both did. But in case you missed something, I never said I would let them go. I said I would give you an opportunity to save them.”

 

“Seriously?!”

 

“Yeah! I planned something very special and now that I think about it, those two could be a good addition. Come.”

 

He obeyed reluctantly while the two children clung to him, scared.

 

**O o O**

 

Jim Gordon had a surprise when he saw Selina Kyle waiting for him at the station. It was almost empty, Lee was probably in there, along with Jeremiah Valeska who gave her a hand in her work. Their effectives were so low it was alarming now. They actually called reinforcement from other cities, and military help would come as well. But for now, they were alone. She was sitting on his desk, her fingers twitching with impatience. He was kinda relieved to see she was alive but something was probably wrong if she came here.

 

“Selina! Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine, but there is something I must tell you: I saw Bruce.”

 

He felt an electric jolt at this. “What?! Where?”

 

“Somewhere in the black zone, but I must…”

 

“Where exactly, we have to go and rescue him.”

 

“No you can’t!”

 

She explained him the whole thing and saw Jim’s face crumbling. She could understand that feeling. It would be risky to rescue him, they would still try. He needed to tell Essen about this, she was in hospital, but he would still consult her about the decisions to take.

 

“We didn’t need that…Was he alright?”

 

“He had an injured ear, but otherwise, he seemed okay.”

 

He sighed. He would have to call Harvey and Alfred. The man would help them when he wouldn’t go in the streets and beat up punks to get any information he could.

 

“Alright, now, stay safe, okay? You helped us a lot already.”

 

She nodded but had absolutely no intention to comply. One of the few people she could call a friend was in danger, after all. Jim took his phone and walked away while starting to make calls. She would rest here a bit and then go back to spy on the psycho and possibly talk to Bruce again. She could discretely track them, she was good to stay invisible.

 

She was thinking about this when she heard footsteps. She expected Gordon but saw a teenager with red hair instead. Her eyes widened: Jerome Valeska! The redhead extended his hand to her: “Jeremiah Valeska.”

 

She relaxed at this. She was stupid, she knew Jerome had a twin. “Selina. You’re the twin brother; Bruce told me about you.”

 

“Selina...He spoke of you as well. Look, I was around, I heard what you said about the bomb.”

 

She froze, only the cops had to know, that’s what Bruce told her and she agreed with him. If the press was aware of what was happening, Jerome would also know and God knows how a nutjob like him would react! She approached Jeremiah more closely with dark eyes.

 

“What did you hear?”

 

“That Jerome is threatening Bruce with a bomb.”

 

“It mustn’t leak, got it?”

 

“Yeah, I kinda guessed!” He replied, annoyed by her behavior. She was obviously trying to intimidate him, and he didn’t like it. Her stance relaxed a bit at those words. He tried to sooth himself, he had to keep level-headed. “How did you even find Bruce? I heard you say he was okay.”

 

“He is managing, he just got a few minor wounds. As for finding him, let’s say I have my ways in the streets.”

 

“You do? Did you…Did Bruce said anything about the bomb’s location?”

 

“He doesn’t know where it is. Look, I have something to do, and I don’t even know you, so...”

 

She turned round and started to walk away but Jeremiah rushed and stood before her, blocking her way.

 

“No, but we both know Bruce, and I know my brother. And we both know that the police is completely overwhelmed. Listen, we might be strangers, but it seems obvious to me that you’re not on Jerome’s side. So we have a common interest.”

 

“What do you want? What would you even do?”

 

“I want to locate that bomb.”

 

She was a bit taken aback by this, but then she remembered Bruce speaking about them. Apparently Jeremiah was the smartass, maybe he would be able to do something indeed. But he wasn’t an action-guy, that was obvious, and with his face, he would have problems in the streets. That was something she could take care of…

 

“How would you do that?”

 

“I could find maps of Gotham easily, and I could have a few ideas knowing how my brother thinks. Now the only problem would be the leg work, I don’t know the streets as well as Jerome does. He used to go there and look for trouble, but not me.”

 

“So you want my help?”

 

Jeremiah contained the urge to roll his eyes. Something in her really bothered him. But that was stupid, she was just a bit wary and it was normal, she didn’t know him. He had no reason to dislike her, hadn’t he?

 

“Yours, or anyone who could give a hand. Now, you’re Bruce’s friend so I have more reasons to trust you.”

 

She considered the idea, they had a mutual interest indeed, but she didn’t know that guy, and she wasn’t on to trust people easily. Still, if they could find that bomb…Since the psychos had invaded the streets, it was even more dangerous than before. Gotham had never been safe, but now it was worse than ever. She wanted that to stop, and she wanted Bruce to escape. Maybe it was worth a shot…She would still be on her guards, though.

 

“Okay. Where do we start?”

 

**O o O**

 

For the first time of his life, Jerome was ecstatic to enter his uncle’s restaurant. Usually, he was scared, but his mother would still drag him there along with his brother. Jeremiah would also be scared, but he would always act as if he was happy to see their uncle. Little hypocrite…His followers behind him, he kicked the restaurant’s door.

 

“Hello, Uncle dear!”

 

People screamed and tried to run away. Most of them failed to do that. The restaurant was invaded, they started to massacre and torture the client, Jerome allowed them to do so freely. Oh that was grand! He wished Bruce had understood by now, he wished he had participated, but well, he would be content with that. He found his uncle trying to run away but caught him back and threatened him with a gun.

 

“Not so fast! Come on, aren’t you happy to see me?”

 

“You…”

 

“Yes, me!” He forced him to walk in the main room where people were already lying dead in the floor or being raped or tortured. Zack hoped his ‘bodyguard’ would be here. He had hired a big guy as a waiter, and promised him a big amount of money if he protected him against his nephew. Where was he?! He got the answer soon when he saw his lifeless body on the ground. He had been shot in the head. Shit…He was alone. Jerome hit him in the face with the gun hard and pushed him down and some of the cronies came to watch.

 

“You know, you used me as a chew toy many times, it’s only fair you return the favor!”

 

“So that’s it? You came to kill me?”

 

Jerome kicked him hard in the ribs, taking the breath out of his lung. It felt so good!

 

“We came for some fun! And you taught me how to have fun, remember? You were always laughing whenever you burned me or beat me. It’s not my fault if I follow your example! Oh, that reminds me…” He turned to his goons. “Someone fetch me one of the boiling casserole. I want to share some memories with Zack here.”

 

“With pleasure!”

 

Two of them went in the kitchen. Zack was desperate. Those people looked as crazy as Jerome, he would probably not be able to reason them.

 

“You’re playing tough now, because you have a gun…”

 

“Oh, please, you’re giving me a moral lesson? You?! The guy who played tough while beating down kids who couldn’t defend themselves? The one who put my hand in a boiling soup when I was only eight? Oh sure, you didn’t need to use guns, I’ll give you that!”

 

“You’re a piece of shit!” Someone yelled at Zack. Others insults were thrown at him.

 

“You see? Popular opinion is against you!” Jerome snarled before grabbing his collar and punching him hard in the eye. Zack tried to grab his wrist but Jerome hit him again and again until the boiling water arrived. The followers enjoyed the show very much. None of the clients  were alive anymore.

 

“Now, Uncle, let me share something with you, on that special day. That will strengthen our bond.”

 

He grabbed his uncle’s arm and plunged his hand in the water. Zack yelled like crazy and tears of pain rolled on his face. Oh that was just so thrilling to see that fat pig cry! He hit him again, kicked him to lay on the ground. Then, he crashed his foot on the burned hand.

 

“See? That what I felt each time you did that. Now we’ve a better understanding. And there are many other things I will let you know. But not here, we wouldn’t want anyone to interrupt us.”

 

He turned to his followers: “Let’s put him in the van, and before we leave, let’s burn this place!’”

 

All the psychos were excited at this. Zack got tied and gagged and he had the time to see his restaurant starting to burn. He had no idea that in the other van, Bruce and the two kids were imprisoned. The dark-haired boy had been handcuffed again. He had tried to release himself but once again, he had been unable to find anything to pick the handcuff’s locks. The two kids were tied. They had been instructed not to scream. Bruce had spoken to them a lot, trying to reassure them, asking them who they were.

 

The girl’s name was Maddie and the boy was Eric. Their father worked as a plumber and their mom was a cleaning lady. They were out for groceries, all together, when they had been attacked by maniacs. They had lost their parents in the crowds and tried to search for them in the streets. They had tried to call the cops but no one had answered. This was really bad, the cops were really overwhelmed if two lost kids couldn’t receive any answer to their call. How many like them were lost right now?

 

“Why are you with them?” Asked the boy

 

“I’m their prisoner. Their chief and I used to be friends before he turned…Like this.”

 

“He was nice before?”

 

“Yes. But don’t talk to him about this. In fact, don’t talk to him at all, okay? Let me take care of this.”

 

The van opened, making both children yelp out of fear. Bruce was relieved to see Iris, Laura and Casey enter along with a few other ones. They were dangerous, but those three liked him enough to listen to him in case. Laura went to Bruce’s side:

 

“That was all amazing! I know you wouldn’t have liked it, but that was just perfect! And guess what’s coming next?”

 

“Laura, Jerome wants to keep the suspense!” Casey reminded her. “But she’s right, it will be something!”

 

“Does it have anything to do with the bottles of bleach here?”

 

They had stolen those earlier that day, while Bruce was on the roof. He had received no answer and that detail had intrigued him. They just all smirked, not wanting to say anything, but their eyes spoke for them. It wasn’t reassuring him at all, but for now, he couldn’t do anything. Did they kill many people?

 

“I kinda missed you during this, Bruce. It’s quite fun when you try to stop us,” Iris admitted. Strangely, she seemed sincere.

 

“It really amused you that much?”

 

“Having a cute boy running after me? Sure!”

 

They departed and they eventually found an abandoned building. Night was already falling. All smiling and enthusiastic, Jerome made Bruce get down and the cultists took the bleach and the kids out.

 

“What are you preparing?”

 

“You’ll see in a second! Ah, here he is!”

 

Bruce’s eyes widened as he saw a battered man being pushed by the followers, tied and gagged. They had given him a grotesque clown make-up on the way. That’s why Bruce didn’t recognized him right away.

 

“Do you remember, Bruce? Uncle Zack!”

 

Oh God! Of course, the bleach, he should have guessed! Bruce remembered perfectly. How could he have forgotten? Jerome went: “He used to burn me and threaten me with the bleach! Just like your mother, isn’t it, Laura?”

 

“Yes, exactly!”

 

“We’ll pursue with his well deserved payment. But I’m not the only one who own uncle Zack something. Isn’t it Brucie?” He advanced toward him. “You acted like a little hero when you tried to defend me. Now, you weren’t very effective, but you know what they say? It’s the intent that matters. You did your best to help me against Uncle Zack, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t offer you an occasion to revenge?”

 

“What do you want me to do?”

 

“I want you to beat him. That little box fight the other day was pretty nice to watch.”

 

Bruce looked at Zack. He would never be able to beat that man alone! He was way too big! And his arm…He put his hand on it. It was still hurting, he wouldn’t be able to…

 

“Oh, silly me! You have a wounded arm! It would be cheating otherwise!”

 

With that, he took out his knife and stabbed his uncle deeply in the arm. The man yelled in pain and Jerome smirked ferociously.

 

“Stop that!” Bruce yelled.

 

“What is it, Bruce? You want to give up? Then maybe I should kill those kids.”

 

Bruce extended his hands: “No! No...What if he wins?”

 

“Well, they die.”

 

Bruce realized one thing: Jerome had no intention to let Zack go. Zack was on the top-list of the people he wanted to kill, Eric and Maddie represented nothing to him. He could find a way to try to save him, but for now he had to save the kids. He looked at Zack again, he was obviously in pain, even standing seemed painful…That was probably his only chance. He nodded at Jerome. 

 

“Good!” He told some of his goonies to untie his uncle.

 

“Now, audience! Let’s see how our friend is doing! David against Goliath, isn’t it?! Begin!”

 

They cheered, excited to see how it would play out. _To beat someone bigger, you must outlast him_. Alfred explained that to him once. Zack just threw himself at him but Bruce dodged easily and sent his elbow to his wounded arm. A strangled yell of pain escaped the man who tried to hit him again but Bruce backed away. That what he thought: he was wounded already, he had taken a beating earlier and was really big. He would lose breath and weaken soon. He also had a black eye, if he could hurt the other eye…

 

Zack tried to grab him by the collar with his good arm but Bruce dodged and sent his fist right in his left eye. Zack slapped him hard with his wounded arm. Bruce’s head snapped to the side and a punch in his guts followed, sending him to the ground. He didn’t have time to regain his breath when a foot appeared above him. He only had time to roll away. He heard the foot crushing the ground right beside him. He tried to get back on his feet when a strong arm caught him. His back was pressed against a strong chest and an arm wrapped itself around his neck. He started to suffocate and his first move was to try to remove the arm.

 

“I’m gonna kill you, little punk!”

 

Bruce’s lungs were starting to ache when he got an idea. He sent his right hand behind him and searched for Zack’s right eye. He barely scratched it that the man screamed and sent his head behind. For a second, his arm lessened his hold and Bruce got enough space. He bit the arm strongly while his nails continued to dig in his face. Zack released him in shock and Bruce abruptly turned round and dodged the next blow. He dodged a few others, regaining his breath while Zack was getting already tired and frustrated. He had his chance. The man was big but his moves were sloppy and he was already starting to slow down.

 

He tried to punch Bruce but the boy jumped to the side and slapped one of his ears hard. The man stumbled a bit and Bruce kicked him in the kidney. Zack yelped, charged again but Bruce blocked his next blow and punched him in the left eye again. He wasn’t as strong as him, but he was swifter. The man stumbled once more, half-blinded with both his eyes hurt. That was his chance.

 

When the man charged again he moved to the side and kicked the back of his knees and sent his fist on his ear again. The man lost balance and Bruce threw himself at him. If Zack hadn’t been stumbling, he would never have been able to make him fall. But given his state and lack of balance, Bruce’s push was enough to make him fall. Zack feel on his wounded arm and he yelled in pain. Suddenly, Bruce was on him, punching his face as swiftly and strongly as possible. He couldn’t help but remember that day, when the man had thrown him on the ground as if he was nothing but a rag doll. He let out all his rage …

 

Two strong arms suddenly grabbed him, tore him away from the man on the ground and put him back on his feet: “Okay, that’s enough my little fighter! I need him to stay conscious for the finale…”

 

Bruce pushed Jerome away, releasing himself from his hold: “I did it, okay! I beat your fucking uncle! So now let them go!”

 

“Wow, it’s rare for you to swear.”

 

Bruce panted and felt even more anger: “Let them leave!”

 

“I will. But there is one last thing you need to do.”

 

Bruce trembled in rage. He went to punch Jerome but the older boy grabbed his wrist easily and pulled him close seizing his other arm in the process just in case.

 

“Calm down, Brucie! You’re the little demon, really! Using teeth and nails and asking for another fight after that one! You’re a savage!”

 

“Free those kids!”

 

He tried to break free but Jerome kept his held firm: “Not now. But, don’t worry; I just want you to watch something. Doesn’t seem too hard, does it? If you can watch until the end, I’ll promise you those two innocent children will be given back to the police safe and sound. That way they’ll be able to send them into a gloomy foster care.”

 

Bruce felt like spitting on his face again but remembered what kind of reaction it triggered. Plus he couldn’t risk Maddy and Eric’s lives. He did his best to swallow back his anger and closed his eyes. Jerome released him.

 

“Good. Now, wait for me a little. Watch that he doesn’t do anything.” Two men held his arms to ensure that he wouldn’t attack anyone.

 

Jerome went toward his uncle who was moaning pitifully while trying to get up. “Guys, bleach, please!” Jerome emptied several bottles of bleach on the man and Bruce tried to struggle but the two men kept holding him. The man was screaming in pain as the bleach started to attack his skin.

 

“So, how does it feel, uncle? Oh, and let’s not forget the finale touch!”

 

He took out a match box and cracked one. Bruce’s eyes widened and all the psychos shrieked out of maniacal glee as he dropped it.

 

Ignominious screams echoed as Zack started to burn and convulse.

 

Bruce’s face contorted at this and Jerome was on him in an instant. Placing himself behind his prisoner, he passed an arm around his chest, pressing Bruce’s back against his chest, and grabbed his hair to make sure he would look. He wasn’t actually hurting him, but Bruce couldn’t move. The man was screaming and contorting, he tried to stand up, the body grotesquely trying to find an issue while being devoured by the flames. The followers were ecstatic at this. Bruce could hear Jerome’s maniacal giggle in his ear.

 

Bruce started to breath hard, too hard and too fast. It seemed like his eyes were burning as well, he clenched his jaw but tried to fight against the tears. He still didn’t want to cry before them. His breathing was getting more intense and Jerome shook him.

 

“Hey, don’t start to hyperventilate!”

 

He didn’t answer, his head was starting to feel light, a vertigo passed through him. _Hold on, you have to hold on_! But this man was dying and he couldn’t do anything!

 

“Watch,” repeated Jerome, “isn’t it funny?! It’s hilarious!”

 

Bruce looked at the curtain behind the body. He tried to focus on that and push away the screams and the images. At least, he wouldn’t see everything. He focused on keeping his breath steady and his eyes dry. It distracted him from the gruesome sight. The screams ended, and the moves as well. The flames eventually started to die.

 

“See,” whispered Jerome right into his ear. “We got our revenge. He thought himself so strong but we both beat him and we both watched him burn…I don’t know about you, but I feel glorious…”

 

He tried to answer something but he felt exhausted, incredibly exhausted. Jerome went on: “See? In the end, you didn’t hesitate to condemn him to save those kids. You knew I wouldn’t spare him, but you still allowed your most primal instincts to take over.” Bruce didn’t answer, and Jerome just continued, obviously satisfied: “For that animalistic display you pulled, you’ll have your reward. We’ll release the kids tonight.”

 

“Let me come with you.”

 

“What?”

 

“When you’ll release them, let me be here.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t plan to escape. Just give me this.”

 

Jerome shook his head: “You have to learn to trust me. I’m pretty sure it will be on the news, I’ll let you watch.”

 

“Jerome…”

 

“Put the kids before a police station…While I’m at it…”

 

He told one of his followers to take a picture of him as he grabbed Bruce by the shoulders. It was a Polaroid and Bruce saw the picture coming out. Jerome took it and showed it to him: “Don’t we look great?”

 

Seeing his own image made Bruce shiver. He looked defeated. _But I’m not, am I?_ _I’ll_ _find a way out_. Jerome wrote something behind the pictures and went toward the kids. He handed it to the sister and spoke with a gentle voice and threatening smile: “You’ll give this to the cops. If you do that nicely, you’ll never heard of me again, but if I learn they didn’t receive it, I’ll come back for you. Understood?”

 

Maddy nodded, not daring to speak a word. Bruce just watched them being taken away while he was dragged along. Did he won? His mind was starting to get too foggy to tell.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, I especially enjoyed this fight.


	12. Magic Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here everyone! While we wait for the next episode, here you go!

**Past**

 

Drawing the snakes or other things from the circus was starting to become a habit. He would generally do that before leaving, it was a good way to relax after fighting or throwing knives. He and Jerome would talk all the while. Sitting near his mother’s caravan, he took out his notebook. He and Jerome had climbed trees and some buildings nearby, running on roofs and from angry people as well. They also fought a bit just to train. It had been fun, but now he wanted to relax a bit.

 

Jerome was at his side, smiling contentedly. “You’ll draw Jazz and Dolly again?”

 

“I just want them to model for me a bit…It’s a weird name for a snake, though, _Dolly_. I would have thought of something a bit more…”

 

“Badass? Me too, but go explain that to my mother. She probably got the name from one of her stupid books. You know, the super sappy and romantic ones! If she really has time to lose to read, she could at least read something a bit better.”

 

“You don’t like reading at all?”

 

“Not fond of it.”

 

“Lovecraft should interest you.”

 

“Didn’t hear about him.”

 

“If you like atrocious monsters lurking in the dark and coming from another time or dimension to destroy the Earth, it should be made for you,” the boy replied, still drawing.

 

“Could be worth it. I had a story quite like that too, one I invented when I was younger. Not that good, but entertaining. Wanna hear it?”

 

Bruce nodded and Jerome started: “Well, it was in a circus, one of the clowns was incredibly bored. Problem was, he had no friends; the others disliked him, mocked him and sometimes beat him. They would always accuse him whenever something was wrong. Therefore he hated them in return. One evening, he found a strange book in the fortune teller’s caravan. It was a book about black magic. And he decided: _Good, with that, I shouldn’t be bored anymore_.”

 

“What’s his name?” Asked the Bruce, listening carefully even though he was still drawing.

 

“Oops, I forgot: his name was Jack, the crazy clown. At first, they called him like that because he was always acting a bit crazy to make the audience laugh. So Jack had this book, he went to his own caravan and started to read about it, there were curses and charms which were all fascinating, but one in particular fascinated him. It was a recipe to craft a magic hat.”

 

“A magic hat? Like a sorcerer’s hat?”

 

“More like a magician’s hat. So he took an old top hat he had from his father, and did the recipe to craft it. He found most of the ingredients easily, but there was one which wouldn’t be that easy. The whole potion had to boil in human blood, and he would need a lot of that. So he took a decision to sacrifice one of his colleagues. He thought of the snake charmer ‘cause she was really a pest.”

 

Bruce noticed the way he was speaking of the snake charmer. But now, it was no secret that Jerome was angry against his mother.

 

“But he decides to keep her for some future tricks and instead, he chose the ring-leader. He killed him, slit his throat and filled a big cauldron with his blood. Then he had everything. He made his magic hat and the fun started. At the next show he went backstage and when the acrobats started their number, he threw a spell. When one acrobats tried to grab his partner’s hands, his own wrists suddenly tore apart!” Bruce’s eyes widened, and Jerome went on. “All the partner was holding were two amputated hands with blood leaking from the wrists! She screamed like crazy while the other fell down. He died because of the fall, and all the audience saw his handless arms. They screamed and started to run. They took the corpse away and tried to calm the people down. They had no idea what happened, and of course, no one suspected Jack.”

 

Bruce was still drawing, listening with attention. Jerome continued, happy to have someone hearing his story: “They decided to make a show in homage to their comrade. They still had no ring-leader, though. They didn’t know what happened to him. Jack proposed to replace him, saying that with his new hat, he had the look for it. So they allowed him to do it, even though they didn’t like him, because none of them wanted to do it. And at the second show, it was the magician who got a little accident.”

 

The magician accidentally murdered his assistant while she was in the magic box. Then his hat suddenly went on fire and he died himself. Then, during another show, it was the snake dancer who got devoured by her own snake. The lion tamer also got devoured by his animals who also attacked the assistance.

 

“Then, he threw a spell on all the clowns. A spell which bound them to him and they became his mindless slaves. Because the more he killed people, the more powerful he was. He smiled all the time now, thanks to his new powers. He killed all the other people of the circus one by one. He also started to attack people nearby. The police tried to kill him, but each time, he would use his hat and make them die in the most spectacular way possible.

 

“And he continues to travel from town to town, cities to cities and he put chaos each time. One day, maybe the whole world will be on chaos…”

 

“But he doesn’t have an enemy who can stop him?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then it’s not really edgy. It’s too easy.”

 

“Yeah, it’s true…As I told you, it’s not a wonderful story, but I like it,” Jerome concluded.

 

“So do I. Look.”

 

He showed him what he had been drawing and Jerome smiled hugely. It was a man wearing a top hat, lean and tall, his arms widely extended as if he was speaking a to a crowd. But the best was his smile: shark-like, wide and demented. His eyes were mad as well, but it was nothing compared to the smile. He had a clown make-up.

 

“That’s Jack?! He is great!”

 

“Keep it if you want.”

 

Jerome giggled and accepted the drawing gladly. Bruce still had to learn things when it came to drawing but it was still very decent. “Your teachers would be shocked once again. Having a nice boy drawing such things, not even a teenager yet…”

 

“I’ll be one in a year exactly.”

 

Jerome looked at him in surprise. “What?”

 

“I’m twelve today. You forgot, didn’t you?” Bruce shrugged. “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

 

“No it’s not. Stay here.”

 

Jerome left him. The kid had given him his only birthday present. It was only fair he gave him something in return. Anyway Bruce was the only one he wanted to make happy. He didn’t really know what to give him. His eyes went somewhere and he smiled hugely. Bruce was drawing something else meanwhile. It had been a long time and night had already started to fall. He didn’t mind much, there was something in the circus’s atmosphere which was quite spooky and he liked it.

 

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

 

He saw Jeremiah coming toward him, his mother behind. He was wearing grocery bags.

 

“Hi, Mrs Valeska.”

 

“Good evening.”

 

She didn’t say anything else. He could feel she didn’t like him, yet she was forcing herself to be polite. He would do the same; even though he loathed her, he didn’t want Jerome or Jeremiah to be punished for his rude behavior. His friend put his bags down.

 

“You were hanging out with Jerome.”

 

“Yeah and I was drawing the snakes.”

 

“Not bad!” Jeremiah admitted when he saw the results. “I’m not so good at drawing, except for mazes, I love those.”

 

“I know.” Jeremiah had already showed him some of his mazes, and Bruce had tried to find the exit. It had been quite fun. “It’s not a big hobby for me, but I kinda like it.”

 

“Why isn’t Jerome with you?”

 

“Oh, he told me to wait here. It’s…It’s my birthday today.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, I think he wanted to get me something. He forgot, I told him my birthday date a while ago.”

 

“I didn’t even know.”

 

Jerome came back, though he wasn’t happy to see Jeremiah, he didn’t try to make him leave. He told them to follow him and led them to a deserted parking lot. Bruce huffed in amazement when he saw what was on the ground: fireworks. The threads were linked together and it formed a ‘B’ shape. Jeremiah was pretty sure Jerome had stolen it from the circus, they would sometimes use fireworks for some shows. Jerome gave Bruce a lighter.

 

“Go ahead, birthday boy.”

 

Giggling a bit, Bruce took the thread and put it on fire. They watched the lights and fire as the fireworks exploded in the air. Bruce was smiling wider than ever, he had received many birthday gifts, but that one was really special! They all looked at the lights on the dark sky and smiled, even Jeremiah. Once it was over, Bruce gave Jerome a brief brotherly hug. “Thanks!”

 

They left only when some circus guys came to find who stole their material.

 

**O o O**

**Present**

Alfred had been reading Jerome’s journal. The cops hardly had time to work on it with everything that was happening. Jim had phoned him to tell him that Bruce had been seen by Selina, alive. He had also told him about the bomb…God, a bomb! He was proud of his boy for doing his best to protect his city, once again, but pride wouldn’t bring him back.

 

He would have liked to be on the field again, to catch some of those nutjobs and punch the truth out of them, but he got why they wanted him to inspect that journal. There could be precious hints inside. Lee Thompkins had read some of it along with him when she had less work, but she left to visit Sarah Essen. It was too bad, she had been a comforting presence, and it had been needed while reading this. God! That was disturbing and really unbearable every time he read something about Bruce.

He wouldn’t talk about him in a disrespectful way; in fact, Bruce was the only person he seemed to respect. But there was still something disturbing, he had written that Bruce had inner darkness in him, that they were alike, that he wanted to free him, that he would see things his way one day…And he was talking about him a lot, hardly anything about his family, except revenge project about his uncle and his brother, but otherwise…He was talking about Galavan, how he was happy to have someone who believed in him (other than Bruce).

 

Then, he read about something which made him pale. It was about Galavan’s plan to kill Bruce. Apparently, he wanted to save and then kill him. They knew Theo Galavan had organized the attack, and sent a private to know more about Bruce, but they didn’t know he wanted to kill him. Why? Why did they all want to hurt his boy, for hell’s sake! Strangely, he believed what Jerome had written, the angry way he spoke of it seemed sincere.

 

_He thinks he can have his life, but he’s dead wrong! Bruce is mine, Theo! He doesn’t know me and Bruce were friends! He’s gonna have a big surprise! Bruce is mine, he can’t have his life! I hate that Bruce betrayed me, but I can’t let someone kill him, it’s just wrong, wrong in every way! He is mine, mine! I’ll be a star by myself, I don’t need you, Theo. It’s Bruce I need, and I’m gonna have him back soon, I’ll make him see…_

 

He stopped there. Did that mean that in some sort of twisted way, Jerome saved his life? He needed a coffee, he was feeling tired. He had been up for a good part of the night, helping the cops to track some psychos, it seemed like they were more and more numerous. He got up, the station was almost deserted, except for the man at the standard who was talking on the phone, and…He saw two familiar figures prying into Jim and Harvey’s desks.

 

“Jeremiah? Miss Kyle?”

 

What were they doing? And why was Miss Kyle still here? She wasn’t the kind to hang in police stations. Both of them jumped in surprise when they saw him. Jeremiah immediately readjusted his glasses. “Alfred, hum…We were trying to know more about, well… Everything.”

 

“Everything?”

 

“Well, I don’t know if you were told, but…” Jeremiah looked around and silently nudged his head, clearly telling Alfred and Selina they had to speak alone. No one could hear them. They went in a deserted room. Jeremiah went on: “There is a bomb.”

 

“I was told already. Bruce can’t go anywhere because of it.”

 

“We want to discover where my brother hid it, but for that, we need a bit of information.”

 

Alfred didn’t answer and looked at Selina instead. They never really liked each other, but he couldn’t deny that she did a lot to help Bruce.

 

“You’re the one who saw him, I heard.”

 

“Yeah. He was worried about you. And he is okay if that’s what you’re gonna ask.”

 

“Well…That’s good…What else did he say?”

 

“We didn’t have much time, he mostly explained me about the bomb and that no one could know, except for Gordon.”

 

Alfred nodded. He was okay…He took a deep breath: “There is a journal your brother wrote. It could be disturbing for you but if you really want to find him, it could be useful.”

 

“If it’s possible, I’d like to make copy of it, it will be easier to work on it that way.”

 

Alfred didn’t know whether or not that was allowed, but he didn’t give a damn about that. After those copies were made, Jeremiah went to Selina who had found maps of Gotham in Essen’s unoccupied office. She quickly took him apart.

 

“Did you tell Alfred we plan to look out for Jerome?”

 

“No, why?”

 

“Good. I don’t want him to come with us.

 

“Why not? He has experience in fighting…”

 

“I usually work better alone, one partner is enough. And I’m not sure he’ll let us do as we want. We’re not working with him.”

 

He wasn’t sure if this was a good decision or not. He didn’t know Alfred that much, but Bruce told him he used to be in the military. But maybe Selina was right, and Alfred could lose his coolness if he was to see Bruce in his brother’s hands. He didn’t know Selina, but if she had been able to give Bruce’s message, then it meant she was capable enough. He nodded.

 

Alfred’s phone rang: Gordon! “Yes?”

 

“Alfred? Is Jeremiah still around?”

 

“Yes, I just saw him, why?”

 

“…We have bad news for him. We just got a call, there had been a massacre in a restaurant. It’s his uncle’s restaurant.”

 

“Oh God…And his uncle…”

 

“We couldn’t find him. We don’t know what happened to him, but, I don’t think it looks good. We’ll try to find them.”

 

“Alright…Did anyone see Bruce?”

 

“We don’t know yet, we’re on their tracks. Can you tell Jeremiah that something happened? I’d rather have him prepared if we’ve to tell him his uncle is dead.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He went to find the young redhead, wondering how he would tell him about what happened, yet he didn’t find him. He looked around but couldn’t see the boy anywhere. Selina was nowhere to be found as well.

 

“Bloody Hell!”

 

He searched for them in the streets around but it was impossible to find them. Why did they suddenly leave? He went back to the station, praying they would be safe. Jim only came back after a while, and Alfred was done reading the journal. He did speak about a bomb, about the people who were following him, but no indication of where it could be. Nothing told them where Bruce was either. 

 

“Jim!”

 

He and Alfred immediately went to see what was up. The cop who called him was beside two kids, a boy and a girl, who looked scared and shocked.

 

“What is it?”

 

“From what I got, those kids were kidnapped. But look what she is holding.”

 

Jim went to the girl who didn’t move but looked at him with wary. She was holding what looked like a picture, but he couldn’t see it. “Hey, kids, it’s alright, you don’t have to worry, we’re not gonna hurt you. What is it you’re holding? Can I see?”

 

She slowly handed it. He gently took the picture and Alfred looked over his shoulder. What they saw made their blood run cold: it was a picture of Jerome holding Bruce by the shoulders.

 

**O o O**

The next morning was calmer. Jerome decided this would be a day of rest for Bruce and him. Of course, if some of the psychos preferred to go outside and make some mess, they were perfectly free to do it. Some did, but others decided to tag along, relaxation would be well-needed. Not all of them had that right though, the weakest were bullied again into doing the cooking, the dishes and even the laundry. Bruce was expecting to be tasked with that, but strangely, no one asked him anything.

 

But for now, they were in the living room, Jerome on the same old couch where Bruce fell asleep last night, the boy at his side again. They had found a few DVDs, two of those interested Jerome in particular: _The Room_ and _Mr Babadook_. The first was known to be so bad it was hilarious and the second was really scary. They watched The Room first, even Bruce couldn’t help but giggle a few times because of the bad acting. Then they got to the horror movie, and Bruce couldn’t help but be creped out. There something so grim about it, it was full of angst and that dark atmosphere…Jerome looked absorbed and fascinated by it.

 

_Ba…Ba…Dook…Dook…DOOOOK._

 

The sound made by the creature sent chills in his spine. He heard a slight whim of fear beside him, he didn’t know who made it but he was glad not to be the only one spooked. The monster jumped on the woman and Bruce couldn’t help but turn his head away and gasp. For a second, the creature had that smile, sick and sadistic…Jerome turned to him and for a moment, it seemed like the monster of the movie was sitting right next to him.

 

“Scared?” Asked he in a whisper.

 

Bruce didn’t answer and just looked at the rest of the movie. He didn’t even know why but he couldn’t turn his gaze away anymore. There was something absorbing in it, or maybe it was because he wanted an escape, but things would continually put him back in reality. At the end of the movie, Jerome still looked absorbed, fascinated. As for Bruce, he was tense, and he looked at the redhead once again. He had a faint smile, obviously deep in thought. Did he like it? The mother in the movie…Did he thought about his own mother? He had no idea; was it careful to stay near him? Jerome suddenly looked at him and saw his expression.

 

“You were scared, were you?”

 

“By the Babadook? No.” He hoped he sounded convincing, he wouldn’t admit that the monster frightened him indeed.

 

“What scared you, then? The kid’s shrieking? It could drive someone mad!”

 

“The mother,” Bruce answered coldly.

 

His captor’s expression changed at this, he perfectly knew what the kid meant. Fearing that he went too far, Bruce stood abruptly and went to the kitchen, to drink some water. He wasn’t really thirsty but he needed to get away from Jerome. He didn’t locate any fire escape yet, maybe he should, if he could get on the roof again, he would have some peace. He heard a phone ringing and Jerome got up from the couch to answer it. Curiosity took over the fear and he went to follow him.

 

“Really? Then it’s a good thing we left!...How did they…Haha! They’re less stupid than I thought…He was?! (His voice was more eager) Damn! When did he leave?! Hum…Okay, continue your work, you’re killing at it!...Really? Interesting…”

 

He hung up and went to Bruce, grabbing him by the arm, he pushed him back in the living room and toward his followers.

 

“I have to get out. Those who stay here, you watch that he doesn’t get anywhere. And remember: don’t touch him.”

 

They all nodded. They continued to drink beer, eat and watch movies and TV. Laura and Iris were out, but Casey was here, he handed Bruce a beer but he refused. He looked around, trying to find something to do. He saw some sheets of paper and found a pencil. He sat on the floor and started to draw on the coffee table, the followers wouldn’t allow him to go far. He didn’t really know what to draw, he just started to draw a human shape.

 

Someone threw an empty can on the table and the move made him look up from his work. A particular knife caught his eye; it was here on the table, and he was pretty sure he had already seen it. He seized it without thinking and checked it. That knife…He knew it! That was the one he gave to Jerome! Watching it made him remember that day, his friend had seemed innocent that day, happy to receive a gift from him…Was he really born bad? Or did they turn him into a monster? And when did he become like that exactly? He unfolded the small blade and looked at it with nostalgia...

 

“Hey, don’t touch that, it belongs to Jerome!”

 

He almost jumped as the voice took him out of his thoughts. It was Dwight who just spoke. The others in the room all reported their attention to what was happening. The boy spared a short glance at him and looked at the tool again. “I know. I offered it to him.”

 

“Liar!”

 

“Ask him if you don’t believe me.”

 

“Jerome said he offered him his only birthday gift,” Casey pointed out.

 

Bruce put the knife back on the table and went back to his drawing. He remembered the guy’s name was Dwight, he was the one who started to organize that cult and found some followers for Jerome. He was entirely devoted to him, and he generally ignored Bruce. This time though, he went to the boy and sat before him. The boy didn’t pay attention to him; he knew what he wanted to draw.

 

“Why is he so fond of you?”

 

“…We were friends, he told you.” He was still drawing, it was as if he couldn’t stop, inspiration coming to him.

 

“I got that, but still! You’re nothing like him!”

 

Bruce was about to protest but stopped himself. Why did it feel somehow false to have that guy say that? He should have been happy that someone acknowledged it.

 

“You don’t have to be the same to be friends.”

 

Obviously it didn’t satisfy Dwight: “You constantly defy him, he has to threaten you to make you obey! If any of us acted like that he would kill them!”

 

Bruce took a deep breath. It was true, yes; sometimes he wondered if Jerome would snap and kill him. He shrugged and simply said: “I’m not a follower, so he doesn’t expect me to act like one. And ask him directly if you want to know why he keeps me.”

 

He was still drawing, he guessed such jealousy was to be expected. Jerome was their star and any favorite would be envied. And in this case, the favorite happened to be the hostage, the one who should have received the worst treatment. Some didn’t seem to care much, some liked him, but others were jealous and he wondered how far this jealousy could go. Dwight huffed, still angry: “What are you doing? You hardly listen to what I’m saying!”

 

“I’m drawing.”

 

“Does he know you’re preparing something against him?”

 

“What?! I’m not preparing anything!”

 

“I’m pretty sure you are! But you should be careful, you’d lose much more than you think if my bomb explodes!”

 

Bruce looked up at him, and Dwight smirked in satisfaction.  “Oh yeah? You didn’t know about it? I’m the one who made those bombs for Jerome, and I can guarantee you it will be something if you…”

 

“Won’t you stop your damn rampage, Dwight?” Casey growled. “I want to watch TV without having you throwing a temper tantrum!”

 

“Yeah, shut up!”

 

Bruce looked down at his sheet of paper, and started to draw again, to hide the fact he was actually meditating on Dwight’s words. What did he mean by that? The man spoke to him again but he didn’t listen. Out of anger, Dwight took the drawing away and threw it down. This made Bruce even angrier, that damn idiot didn’t have the right to take away his refuge! Seizing Bruce by the collar, Dwight started to yell: “Now, listen you damn…”

 

Bruce suddenly grabbed the knife. The blade was still out. He pointed it at his eye threateningly. Dwight’s expression changed, he paled and his eyes showed the fear. No one was paying attention to the TV anymore. “Don’t threaten me! Now you leave me alone if you don’t want me to gouge your eye out!”

 

He pushed Dwight away. He hoped no one could see he was shaking a bit. He didn’t know what got into him. Could he really do that? He didn’t know, but obviously he convinced the man who stood and left the room while the others started to laugh and cheer.

 

“Does a kid scare you, Dwight?”

 

“Such a big man!”

 

A tall and broad guy grabbed Dwight by the shoulder and looked at him threateningly: “Maybe you should remember this kid also belongs to Jerome, not only the knife.”

 

Obviously uneasy, Dwight left, not wanting to hang around the other cultists for now. One of them took the drawing from the ground before Bruce could get it. “Nice! Is that the Babadook?”

 

“Nah, it doesn’t look like the Babadook,” someone else objected.

 

Bruce got it back: “It’s a character from an old story, you don’t know it.” He continued and he was left alone, he just heard one of them wondering if you really could gouge out someone’s eyes with a pencil and another explaining him it was possible. He drew other faces around him. When he was finally done, the door opened and Jerome entered, along with a bunch of people. Cultists surely, but Bruce never saw them. They were all excited about something obviously. Bruce didn’t focus much on them, he looked at Jerome.

 

“New partners, guys! New wolves to devour sheep with us!”

 

Cheers were heard. They started to speak together, when Bruce heard someone speak to him: “Is it me, or do you stand out a bit, kiddo?”

 

That was one of the newcomers. She had glasses, short hair, a white make-up and red lipstick. She crouched beside Bruce. “So I guess this is the famous Bruce? I heard about you, kid. The name’s Jeri.”

 

“Enchanted.”

 

She laughed at his formal way of speaking and her eyes fell on the drawing. “Ah! Now that’s interesting…”

 

She looked at the tall, lean man with a top hat he drew. He was surrounded but bloodied faces and a carnival décor. Jerome took it from her and Bruce saw his delighted smile: “Oh you drew Jack, am I right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Who is Jack?”

 

“It’s from an old story I invented when I was younger. It wasn’t really good, but the main character wasn’t bad. But now, Bruce if you want inspiration from horrible things, I guess I have the perfect muse for you!”

 

The boy stood up and his eyes widened when he saw an old woman being pushed inside. Her hands were tied, her hair in a complete mess, and she was checking like crazy. Bruce went to her immediately: “Are you okay.”

 

“Where is my boy? Where is my baby boy?”

 

“She has been talking about that during all the travel! A sheep too, but a crazy sheep, so I have a bit more sympathy.”

 

Bruce didn’t listen to him and went to the woman again. She was obviously scared of everyone but he gently murmured he wasn’t gonna hurt her. This earned him some laugh from the others but he didn’t care. He felt one hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jerome at his side.

 

“Galavan was holding her hostage, but now that she is dead, I was scared the poor thing would be bored! So, I decided we could play with her a little. She reminds me of some of the carnival freaks, maybe that’s also why I like her.”

 

He laughed at this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Don't hesitate to comment.


	13. Fire Performance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well, it's a bit gory at a point, though.

Bruce had taken the old woman in one of the rooms, forcing the guy who was in to get out. He locked the door, not bothering whether or not Jerome would like it. Although she had followed him sheepishly, the woman was looking at him with fear.

 

“What are you gonna do to me?”

 

“Nothing, don’t worry, I’m a prisoner too! I’m Bruce Wayne, maybe you heard of me?”

 

“Oh…I’m not sure, but I was imprisoned by evil people already, they wanted to hurt my little boy! And then those ones came, what’s gonna happen?”

 

“I don’t really know. I can’t escape, but maybe I’ll be able to help you. What’s your name?”

 

“Gertrud Cobblepot! Maybe you heard of my son, he is a businessman, a very good one!” Bruce just shook his head. “Oh…Maybe you’re too young to know that kind of things yet. How old are you?”

 

“Thirteen.”

 

She took his hands with affection (he could feel she was quivering): “You remind me of my boy at your age, he was very handsome too! The sweetest boy ever, but some people were so mean to him…There are still some bad people hurting him and I think they took me for that, because they want to hurt him.”

 

“Maybe…I’ll try to know more, ma’am, for now…”

 

He was interrupted by a loud bang on the door. “Oh, Bruuuce! Open right now or I swear I’ll huff, and I’ll puff and I’ll blow that door away and I’ll skin the old hag!”

 

“I’m opening it, no need for threats!” The redhead was giggling and Bruce gave him an annoyed look while carefully standing in the door frame to shield Gertrud from him. “I understand teenagers are hungry, but you could do much better than that, Bruce.”

 

“Very funny. And you could do better than a lame fairy-tale imitation.”

 

“Lame? You’re always so severe! But whatever, get out of here.”

 

“What are you gonna do to her?”

 

“Nothing for now, I’m keeping her for a big occasion. But I don’t want you to spend all your time locked in there. We’re partying tonight!”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“Too bad.” He pulled him out and locked the door. Leading Bruce in the living room, he pushed him on a chair, and took a rope. The boy tensed and tried to stand up but Jerome pushed him back on the chair: “Relax, Brucie, I’m not going to strangle you. Give me your wrists.”

 

He seized Bruce’s hands without even waiting for a response. The boy didn’t resist, he knew he couldn’t and it would be useless anyway. Jerome started to pass the rope around his wrists with a gleeful smile. 

 

“Why are you tying my hands?”

 

“Dunno. I felt like tying someone’s hands and who else could I choose? I mean what’s the use to have a prisoner if you can’t play with it a little!”

 

“…Really? It’s just for that?”

 

“I’m a psycho, don’t expect me to do things just out of logic. I’m doing it because it’s fun!”

 

“Ouch! Do you really need to tie it so tightly? I need blood in my hands!”

 

“Come on, don’t be a wuss.”

 

Jerome finished the knot and let go of him. Bruce looked at his hands, he could undo this later, he knew it. In fact, Jerome probably expected him to do so. The redhead looked at him and put a strand of hair back in place. Bruce tilted his head away and Jerome gave him an annoyed look.

 

“Come on! You ain’t gonna react like a little princess each time I touch you!” He laughed at those words and Bruce just rolled his eyes.

 

Their party was a big mess as always. Loud music, alcohol, bottles smashed against walls, drugs, sex and violence. The weakest members of the group were bullied by the others, and Bruce wondered why the hell they stayed with them. The boy remained before Gertrud’s door all the time, even when he started to feel sleepy. Anyway, there were no real place to sleep, most of them were occupied by psychos who were either having sex or using drugs. The door was at the end of the corridor; sitting against it, Bruce’s eyes were starting to feel heavy. His hands were still tied, even though he managed to loosen the bonds. He had managed to undo hose, but the cultists had tied him back. He heard mockeries directed at him but didn’t pay attention. He could hear Gertrud sobbing at times he wished he could have locked himself with her…

 

A hand grabbed his shirt and throw him down brutally. A yelp escaped his throat. His eyes widened in fear when he saw Derek above him. He was smirking hugely, and his eyes looked strange.

 

“Happy to see me kiddo?! You know what? You’re gonna be useful for once!” His voice was frantic, almost overjoyed and Bruce understood he was high. He had seen some of the psychos in that state already. Derek’s big hands were holding him down strongly and with his bound wrists…

 

“You’re a pain in the ass, y’a know?” Bruce tried to push him away; his long greasy hair, his foul smell and his perverse look…It was unbearable. But Derek continued to hold him down and grunted: “When I wanted to fuck that girl, you just ruined it, when I wanted to kill the kids, you ruined it, but now, know what? You’re gonna make it up! You’re a nice little piece after all.”

 

Bruce tensed as he suddenly felt cold big hands sliding roughly under his sweater. He struggled and trashed: “LET GO!”

 

“You already fucked with Jerome, didn’t you? Wonder how you feel…”

 

 The boy sent his knee up. The man roared in pain and roughly pushed Bruce down again and laid over him.

 

“Let him go!” Bruce heard Laura’s voice above them, but Derek paid no attention, even when the girl was trying to pull him away. “Let him go! JEROME!”

 

Derek crashed his lips against his. The boy didn’t even have to think, his instincts took over. He sunk his teeth into the pink flesh and bit harder than ever. Blood started to flow in his mouth. Derek started to squirm and tried to get up but Bruce wouldn’t let go; He sunk his teeth even harder and shook his head right and left, his jaw tightly gripping Derek’s lower lip. He wasn’t even thinking when he felt the flesh tearing away, when he heard Derek screaming desperately. He didn’t even register how the man was suddenly lifted away. There were voices shouting and more screaming but he couldn’t really decipher any of those. It was all blurry in his mind. All he knew was this: an iron like taste had invaded his mouth and he had something chewy on his tongue. He spat it on the ground and saw it was all red and bleeding.

 

It was Derek’s lip…At least a bit of it.

 

Someone crouched, took the thing between their finger; it was only at that moment Bruce realized Jerome was there. The redhead looked at the torn piece of flesh and then at Bruce with stupor and satisfaction. Laura took the thing between her fingers as well and looked at Bruce in awe. The boy just sat straight against the door, unable to do or say anything. He saw Derek lying over the ground, squirming and whimpering in pain. Jerome reported his attention to the man.

 

“Did I allow you to touch him? HE’S MINE!”

 

Everyone looked at him with fear, he was furious and everyone knew how dangerous he could be when he was like that. Laura looked exalted, though. He kicked him again.

 

“I don’t allow anyone to touch my things, got it?! I think I’ll make a little example.”

 

“He is high…”

 

“I don’t give a shit!”

 

He ordered his followers to drag him to the living room, while he grabbed Bruce by the sleeve, pulling him on his feet. He looked at his prisoner who was shaking slightly, and couldn’t help but be struck by this image: he was trembling like the kid he was, but he also had this blood on his mouth, dripping on his chin, like a feral animal who would have killed a prey. It was a gripping contrast, but again, it defined Bruce pretty well.

 

In the living room, people gathered around Derek, Laura started to tell some people what just happened while staying at Bruce’s side, holding his arm. Jerome grabbed a crowbar. Derek was on the ground, and the redhead stood before him: “Now, let’s show everyone what happens when someone tries to touch my things!”

 

He crashed the iron bar against Derek’s head, making the man collapse completely, but he was still whimpering. Cheers echoed at the sight of blood. Jerome started to laugh crazily, the anger turning into a mad glee as Derek’s head was becoming redder and redder. Bruce was watching, and the sight made him sick. He tried to leave but Laura hold him there and she murmured at his ear: “Don’t! Watch, and you’ll feel better! I know what it feels like when someone do that, I know it too well. And trust me, you’ll feel better if you watch them die!”

 

Still laughing like the madman he was, Jerome continued, his face and body splashed with drops of blood and bits of brain. Bruce felt nauseous as what used to be a human’s head was reduced to a bleeding, fleshy mess. He turned his eyes away, and now, Derek’s blood on his chin and in his mouth felt even worse. He wanted to wipe it clean, but his body was unable to move. He didn’t know how long it lasted, but Jerome stopped when his arm was too tired.  Laura released his arm, when Jerome turned to him with his blood-stained face and his maniac smile, Bruce felt a slight spasm, and he stumbled toward the bathroom.

 

When he reached the sink, a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him. He turned to see Jerome, still smirking but not as widely as before. He looked almost serious, just like that time on the roof. He gently untied his prisoner’s wrists. With a sigh, the boy rubbed his skin, it was red and slightly scratched. He squirmed slightly when he felt Jerome’s thumb whipping blood away from his lips. He looked up at him; Jerome wasn’t smiling at all anymore.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“You have blood on your face.”

 

It wasn’t even a joke. Jerome wiped away the blood from his chin, and Bruce was puzzled by his expression. His eyes were hard and thoughtful, fixated on his face, but he wasn’t really looking at him, he was looking at the blood he was whipping. When their eyes locked, he stopped breathing for an instant.

 

“It’s in those moments you need to look into yourself, and see who you really are. Cause it’s in those moments people see themselves.”

 

He released his chin and the boy immediately washed his face and mouth. Even after three times, he still felt like some remained. Jerome was still here and when Bruce turned to him again, he simply asked: “Did you kill him because I’m your thing, or because I’m your friend?”

 

“You’re a bit of both, I guess,” he said, shrugging.

 

It dawned on Bruce: he really wasn’t anything precise in Jerome’s mind, he was precious to him, and that was all the redhead needed to know. He wouldn’t look deeper into his feelings; maybe he was unable to do so. One thing was still clear, though: Jerome did it for him. He wouldn’t have killed Derek for anyone else. Jerome put him in the same room as Gertrud. “Stay here for the night. Don’t try to make her escape, her time will come later.”

 

The woman was sleeping and though she was taking most of the bed, he laid at her side. He tried to push away the feeling of Derek’s lips. Somehow, Laura was right: seeing him die had been somehow reassuring. Even the taste of blood, it was disgusting, but it was also some kind of guarantee. Derek wouldn’t be able to kiss him with no lips. He wouldn’t be able to hurt him once he was dead.

 

**O o O**

 

The two days after the massacre in Zack’s restaurant had been almost easy compared to the rest, but the GCPD was sure of one thing: it was only calm before tempest. Jerome was preparing something for sure. It was near midnight when Alfred came back to the GCPD. He was holding a barely conscious man who had some clown make-up. The man was put behind bars and Jim made the butler sit at his desk. He looked worn-out. To be honest, he was worn out himself. He had taken some rest, but wanted to be up that night, the psychos would do most of their shit at night.

 

“Who is that guy?” Asked Jim.

 

“Some punk who tried to kill me, but he wasn’t lucky enough. I…Nicely asked him whether or not he knew where Jerome was, he swore to God that no. He says he hadn’t been around him, he’s just one of those guys following the move.”

 

“We’ll check up whether or not he’s saying the truth. Any news from Jeremiah and Selina?”

 

“No, absolutely none. I don’t get why they suddenly left like that, we could have helped them.” He hadn’t been able to find them anywhere,

 

“I don’t know, let’s just hope they’ll stay safe. We have been able to track them back to the Narrows, but impossible to find where they’re hiding exactly…”

 

“Jim! Guys!” Harvey’s calls was heard by everyone, he was standing in front of the Tv set; The News had received a message from the terrorist Jerome Valeska. They saw Jerome’s deranged face appearing, smirking gleefully.

 

“ _Hello Gotham City! You probably wondered what we were up to recently. Well we were preparing a new show for you, something explosive! Since our first bomb had so much success, we decided to give another one! And m new assistant here will present it to you!_ ”

 

Laughing, he moved away to show an old woman in tears, with a belt of explosives around her waist. She looked worn-out, as if standing was difficult for her.

 

“Fucking shit! That guy really has no limits!” The look the woman gave was heart-breaking. Another laugh was heard: “ _She isn’t much of an eye-candy but she’ll give you nice little show, I guess GCPD will try to ruin our fun, but I warn them: Tic-Toc, time is passing by! You have until one A.M. Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce the other performers…_ ”

 

He turned the camera and showed a small circle of people kneeling down, tied and gagged. Some were crying. The video stopped there, and Harvey exclaimed: “Gotham’s tower! That’s where he is!”

 

“He’s right, I recognized it,” someone else added. “They’re very close, those assholes!

 

They gathered every cop possible and prepared for the next move. Given how many had been killed or injured, they weren’t many. Alfred would go along once again, no cop would question his presence anymore.

 

“Remember, saving the hostages is our top priority, that and the bomb,” Jim reminded everyone. “Our targets are heavily armed, we got from sources that they got a new load of weapons, and they are numerous, so we must be extremely vigilant. This is obviously a trap, they’re expecting us, we must caught them off-guards…”

 

“I could help with that.”

 

The voice surprised everyone and both Jim and Harvey’s eyes widened when they saw Oswald Cobblepot standing there. He looked angry and agitated. Limping toward them, the king of Gotham simply declared: “I’m helping you getting that psycho.”

 

“Why would you help us?”

 

Despair pierced through anger: “It’s my mother, Jim. The woman they tied to a bomb, she is my mother!”

 

Harvey gasped at this. And he thought this couldn’t be messier! “Your mother? Fucking shit…”

 

Even though he wasn’t sure whether or not this was a good idea, Jim couldn’t refuse the help. Their effective were low and Oswald’s men were trained to fight.  “Okay, come with us, but remember, you and your men must follow my commands, we have to work together.”

 

“Anything you want as long as we save her!” He didn’t even try to argue with him, there was no point, they couldn’t lose time! When he had seen his mother on TV, tied to that bomb, he had felt like all his blood had left his body. Even now, just thinking about her like this, scared, crying and in imminent danger…Oh God, he wanted to rush to her, but he knew they had to take down those psychos first, and it was so frustrating! Oh that bastard Jerome, he would gut him if he managed to get his hands on him!

 

 “Just remember every hostages matter. I guess some of your men are hitmen?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Good, could they sneak into the buildings around?”

 

“Of course they can!” He felt impatience growing, time was passing!

 

“Then you’ll send them in there with our SWAT team. You’ll try to shoot as many of them as you can, try to get Jerome in priority, but be extremely careful not to touch the hostages. At the same time, the rest of our forces will come and encircle them to block any escape. We’ll have to keep our distance to avoid their grenades if they have some left. Meanwhile, the bomb squad will infiltrate the tower.”

 

They didn’t take much more time to plan, time was passing and they needed to get to the tower before the bomb exploded. Jim went to Alfred: “We don’t even know if Bruce will be here, if he is we’ll try to secure him, but I want you for another kind of mission.”

 

“What?”

 

“We’re also sending someone to diffuse the bomb, they’ll go through the sewers, I want you to escort them and make sure they can reach the top of the tower.”

 

“No, I want to search for…”

 

“Alfred! If you’re coming along, I need you to follow my lead. We don’t even know if Bruce will be there, maybe he’s kept somewhere else, but if he is here, I’ll do everything to get him back safe and sound.”

 

He wanted to protest again, but Alfred knew it was indeed reasonable. A bomb blowing up would endanger everyone around. At best, the fragments of the building crumbling would endanger them all; at worse, it would kill them directly. If Bruce was in the middle of it…He nodded, and Jim sent him with the bomb squad. Oswald went in Jim’s car. “When did he take your mother?”

 

“She was missing for days. That Galavan fucker had her, I guess they found her before me…” His voice was dripping with despair again. In spite of who Oswald was, Jim hoped he would get his mother safe and sound. And he also hoped they would get Bruce, and arrest Jerome and make him tell where the bomb was…But maybe he was being too hopeful.

 

 

**O o O**

 

The tower was being restored, and Jerome was about to give the workers even more to do. He would almost regret it, that building was standing out in the middle of the rest, a nice touch to cut the boring monotony of those buildings. But after all, the bomb wouldn’t destroy the whole tower, just the top of it. It had been something to go up there and tie the old hag, the view had been ecstatic! Like watching a delicious plate waiting to be consumed…

 

“Please, let me go home!”

 

He just struck the bitch on the ground who dared to talk. The other hostages who were all bound wouldn’t make a sound once they saw this. They were the luckiest. They had other hostages, but tied or handcuffed to cars which had been stolen and put through the street to serve as some kind of barricades or platforms. Jerome didn’t do that because he feared for his safety, but he wouldn’t make it easy for the cops to shoot them all! He looked around, every building seemed to be empty silent. Was everyone away? Or were they all hiding under their bed, whimpering in fear? He bet on the latter. People…They were all the same! Maybe one of them had called the police, but he didn’t care, he wanted them to come!

 

He opened one the vans and untied Bruce. The boy jumped out, looking around for Gertrud. Oh, his face when he saw the hostages on the ground!

 

“You nutjob! Why are those people here? What are you gonna do?!”

 

“Let’s say that the cops are coming to join our fun! Those people are a security, don’t try to save them, we would rather shot them all. Don’t you see anyone missing?”

 

He looked around and understood quickly: “Gertrud! Where is she?!”

 

“Oh, she is keeping our little bomb warm while enjoying the view from up there…” He theatrically gestured the tower. “At the very top of the tower…Will you go and save your fairytale princess, Bruce?!” He laughed mockingly. “You don’t have much time!”

 

The boy rushed toward the door when two big guys stepped before it, carrying rifles.

 

“Ah-ah, it won’t be so simple. You didn’t think I would let you just waltz in and save her so easily, did you?”

 

Hell…What else did he do? He saw the door chained, even if he could beat those two, opening the door wouldn’t be easy! Feeling desperate, he turned to Jerome: “Why are you doing this?” He knew the answer and yet he couldn’t help it. Jerome laughed, as if he just said something fun: “Why not? Seems like you won’t be able to do anything this time, getting past those two won’t be so easy.”

 

“But you’re not forbidding me to try.”

 

“No, as long as you come back to me before we leave, you can try to save her. But, honestly, I don’t see how you would do it, especially for that old hag! A scarecrow would look nicer!”

 

Bruce’s fury increased at this. The guys at the entrance weren’t about to let him through, but it didn’t matter; he still had one way ahead of him.

 

“You want to know how I’m gonna do it?!”

 

He ran to the building, jumped on the scaffolding and started to climb. He heard the psychos gasp and shout at this, some cheered in excitement.

 

“Don’t shoot him, just bring him back!”

 

Two went in, Laura and another guy named Simon. Good if that girl was the one to bring him back, she liked Bruce and she wouldn’t hurt him, at least no more than necessary. Gunshots echoed through the building and he smirked. So what he had been told was right…He heard the cops coming toward them and took a grenade while his other hand was holding a gun. Once again, he felt exhilarated; it felt so exciting, as if he could graze life and death with his finger. Fire would erupt, bullets would fly, and everyone’s life would be put at stake! He would really feel alive, then!

 

In their car, Gordon, Oswald and Harvey started to see the psychos. They had put several vehicles to serve as barriers, and both cops felt frozen when they saw more: civilians had been bound to those cars. Hell! Shooting with hostages in the middle would be difficult! They wouldn’t be able to send any explosive toward them either!

 

“ _Gordon, Bullock, we have a problem!_ ”

 

“What’s wrong?” Harvey answered.

 

“ _There are some of them in the buildings! They were expecting us! I shot two of them, but Darrel is down! They start attacking us and Cobblepot’s men too!_ ”

 

Jim stopped the car and looked at both men who seemed stunned. “They knew we were sending men inside! How…”

 

“Doesn’t matter!” He spoke to his colleague: “Be on your guards, they’re probably here to serve as snipers too! Change of plans, you’ll take them down while we take care of those outside!”

 

Shit! The snipers in the building were a big asset for them, now they didn’t have that anymore! Penguin exited the car: “I don’t care! Snipers or not, I’m not sitting here! I’m getting into that tower!”

 

The two cops exited the car as well, guns pointed and ready to shoot.

 

Meanwhile, Bruce continued to climb as quickly as possible, he wouldn’t let her die! The cold wind blew and he shivered. In another situation, he would have taken time to look down to toughen himself but he didn’t have the time for this. H heard the first gunshots from afar, but forced himself to remain focused on his task. Saving Gertrud was his priority; it was the only thing he had a chance to accomplish. He realized only then that the scaffholding didn’t reach the top of the tower…He had to get in here! The mind blew again and this time, he lost balance and almost let go of the iron bars. Coldness spread through him and his blood ran faster. He gripped the metal tighter, trembling. He almost fell, he didn’t know how high he was in the air, but he knew he didn’t want to fall.

 

‘ _Get a grip…You’re no scared child, are you?_ ’

 

He took a deep breath and continued to climb. More yells and gunshots echoed from beneath, sounds of small explosions too. He stopped himself from looking down, he knew the cops were here. He prayed they would save the hostages. He prayed no bullets would touch him. They had no reasons to shoot in his direction, did they? He suddenly saw tools left behind by the workers. He quickly went to it and took the heaviest one to smash it against the window. He broke it after three tries and went in. He tried the elevator but it wouldn’t work, maybe Jerome had broken it? He ran through the stairs as quickly as possible. He jumped when he suddenly heard voices below:

 

“Bruuuce!”

 

“Come back here, you brat!”

 

He could hear their steps and heavy breathing now. He didn’t stop and breathed in and out carefully. That was the key to stamina, he had to go as fast as possible without stopping! They were still behind him, they were probably not as trained as him. He was pretty sure he recognized Laura’s voice. He reached the top, the door had been broken by the psychos went they got in. A strong wind greeted him; for a second, he was taken aback by the sight of the city before him. A strong sensation ran through his head, making his head spin. He wasn’t afraid, but excited. He shook his head, and called: “GERTRUD!”

 

“Help!” He heard her desperate voice and ran in its direction.

 

He found her tied to the security barriers. She was crying, but she seemed a bit more hopeful when she saw him.

 

“Please, help!”

 

“Stay calm.”

 

He started to undo her bonds as quickly as he could; oh it was going to explode! She was still crying and trembling. He saw a timer indicating the time. Twenty seconds! Once she was freed, he quickly undid the belt and did the only thing he could think of: he threw it as strongly as possible in the air. He grabbed her wrist and ran with her to try to hide behind the wall…

 

A deafening sound echoed. A wave of warmth enveloped them. A force pushed them forward. Pain invaded Bruce’s head and his mind went blank.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, don't hesitate to comment!


	14. The Show Must Go On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! I’m glad to be back, this chapter wasn’t easy to write, especially the first scene. Action scenes are always a big challenge to me. Enjoy this!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who reviewed by the way!

Seeing the hostages restrained to the vehicles which had been disposed to serve as barriers, they knew they had to try the dialog first. His gun still drawn out, Jim took a megaphone and spoke up:

 

“Jerome Valeska! You’re surrounded, we’re giving you one chance to surrender! Let us take the hostages away, there is no chances for you to escape!”

 

The only answer he got was a small thing thrown toward them. It sounded like a food can, or…They all threw themselves down when they understood what it was.

 

BOUM!

 

The explosion deafened them for a short moment. The grenade didn’t land close enough for them to be wounded, however Jim saw one of the hostages handcuffed to a van was now unconscious or dead. Shit! Harvey turned to him.

 

“I guess we go with plan B?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

The snipers couldn’t intervene anymore and there were hostages in front of them. Well, they had a solution Jerome and his loonies might have not expected.

 

The psychos were pretty sure they wouldn’t use any kind of explosives because of the hostages. That’s why they were very surprised when projectiles were thrown at them. But instead of explosions, gas spread among them.

 

Taking advantage of the psychos being blinded by smoke and tears, gangsters and cops alike rushed, gas masks covering their faces. Reaching the hostages restrained to the cars, the cops first freed them and started to evacuate them. Although they were coughing and crying because of the gas, they did leave the place as quickly as possible, escorted by a few policemen. Bullets started to fly though as a strong wind blew, giving the psychos some relief from the gas. Some had been able to protect their faces with clown masks, but those weren’t as efficient as gas masks.

 

They saw the hostages being used by some cultists as human shields. “Don’t shoot toward the hostages!” Harvey and Jim both yelled together. “Take the others down!

 

Jim was firing at a bunch of psychos who stood on a car’s top and two of them fell dead while the two others cowered away. Harvey was at his side, when Jim saw him falling. A bullet had touched him. The woman who shot him was shot dead. Jim’s hair stood and he got on his knees to see him. He envisioned him dead. But Harvey wasn’t bleeding, just breathing heavily. Jim sighed in relief as he saw a bullet in his Kevlar. He only fell because his body was in shock, which was perfectly normal.

 

“Fuck…”

 

“Try to get up as soon as possible, I’m covering you!”

 

“Fuck it! Fuck them all!”

 

Jim saw another cultist about to attack them and he struck him down with his gun, knocking him out. Something landed near him and he could just back away. Pain spread through his arm and he saw the lightning of a blade. He hit his attacker in the jaw as strong as possible. He looked down at his arm. It was bleeding but the blade hadn’t been planted in his flesh. It was just a cut, a bad one, but he could manage. Harvey stood again at his side and they tried to make it to the closest hostage.

 

“Shoot the ones guarding the tower! Get to the tower!” Oswald yelled while shooting another attacker. His men managed to take down the cultists near the entrance and started to get in. Oswald followed them. He had to save his mother! He didn’t have much time! He was about to reach the entrance when a force suddenly lifted him off the ground. He fell and pain spread through his skull. He could just register that something exploded near him. He could hear a buzzing sound. He tried to get up when something suddenly stopped every move from him.

 

Fire.

 

Another deafening sound.

 

Fire spreading from the top of the tower.

 

The bomb had exploded. Coldness invaded him and he was unable to breath. His mother… No!

 

**O o O**

 

At the top of the tower, Bruce’s eyes started to open. He could hardly see anything. Everything was a blur, a mix of cold, hotness, buzzing sounds, pain and numbness. His head was sore, that was the only thing he knew for sure, the left side of his face was painful and…Sticky. He was feeling strangely numb as well, He was unable to move at first. He felt nauseous too, an awful smell hit his nostrils; gosh it was awful! Maybe it was that smell which helped him to retrieve some spirits; he opened his mouth, gagged and coughed. It just intensified the pain. He winced and blinked again. What happened?

 

The bomb!

 

He remembered throwing it away. Was he okay? He forced himself to move his limbs. He felt his fingers, and he could also slightly move his feet, his toes…He still had his legs, but those were painful! Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to raise his head. The sticky sensation was disgusting; he understood it was blood, and forced himself to prop himself up a bit. With all his will, he looked at his own body and saw it wasn’t in flame, but he was probably burned a bit. Gertrud! He looked at his other side and saw her, or rather he saw the mop of grey hair, but he couldn’t see her face. Blood stained the ground and her hair. Alarmed, he crawled to her, and put a shaking hand on her face. He tapped it, trying to find her mouth and felt her breathing. She was breathing!

 

He tried to shake to wake her up, but she wouldn’t move. “Gertrud…Please, you have to wake up!” It had no effects. Desperate, he gathered all his strength and got on his feet. He almost fell, his head was spinning badly. She needed help, he had to get someone! And he had to get back to Jerome! Otherwise another bomb would explode! Almost throwing himself at the door, he almost fell in the stairs. Grabbing the rail to keep balance, he tried to lessen the quivers in his body, but it was uncontrollable. He stilled though as he saw Laura coming toward him. She was out of breath and bleeding slightly.

 

“Here you are! I thought you were dead, Jerome would have killed us!” She groaned while grabbing his arm.

 

“The woman, where is she?!” Simon was out of breath too as he caught up with them.

 

“We don’t care, it’s only him we need!”

 

She grabbed him by his jacket and they started to get down together when someone appeared in their way.

 

“Bruce!”

 

Alfred! His breathing was cut off as he saw him escalating.

 

He couldn’t believe it! Alfred?! His guardian was here! Thank God, nothing happened to him! He wanted nothing but go to him and for a second, he almost did it, but he saw Laura raising her gun.

 

He grabbed her arm to stop her and she struggled against him and pushed him roughly down. In his weakened state, it wasn’t hard for her. She had a much bigger challenge when Alfred jumped on her to disarm her, but Simon attacked him as well. Bruce stood up and threw Laura’s gun down before slipping past them as quickly as he could, while his guardian was punching Simon and pushing Laura away. He ran through the stairs, half-stumbling.

 

“Bruce!”

 

He heard Alfred calling for him; it was heart-wrenching to do that, to run away from him, but continued nonetheless. He heard yells and gunshots echoing though the whole tower. People were fighting downstairs. Oh hell! He wouldn’t make it to the door! He rushed as fast as he could to the window he had previously broken. His head was a bit clearer; he would just have to get down carefully. He prayed he wouldn’t receive a lost bullet. Once again, the wind almost took him out of balance, there was some kind of fog around; he gripped the iron bars tightly and went down slowly.

 

As he was getting down and down, he saw the whole chaos. Smoke and corpses, yells and whimpers. He had to go down, he had to return to Jerome, otherwise, he would pay the price! He finally made it to the ground, the shot sounds had stopped, and he thanked Heaven for that. Before he could even try to do something or think of something, he was grabbed roughly and shoved around. He tried to struggle at first when he felt the cold contact of a gun against his temple and heard Jerome’s raspy voice: “Stop moving!”

 

He obeyed and allowed the redhead to take him around and that’s when he saw cops and armed people pointing guns. The cultists were doing the same, and they had human shields, just like Jerome.

 

Both Jim and Harvey were breathing heavily. The shooting had stopped when the cultists had shielded themselves with their hostages and stopped firing. They didn’t know why Jerome had suddenly ordered them to retreat like that, but this wasn’t over. With all the hostages in the middle, they were in a tricky situation. And they had to watch out the gangsters wouldn’t do anything stupid either! But at least, they were all surrounded. But in that mess, he couldn’t see Jerome…

 

“Release the hostages!” Jim yelled.

 

“Detective Gordon!”

 

Jim turned toward the voice and his eyes widened at the sight before him: Jerome appeared, a Cheshire cat like smirk on his bloodied face, holding Bruce before him and pressing a gun against his temple. He was alive! He was alive but a freak was hurting him and threatening him! One simple look was enough to tell him the kid had been through hell, blood leaking down the right side of his face, his lip also bleeding and his bruised face dirtied with soot. That sight made every cop and even some mobsters want to beat up the psycho into pulp! Jerome giggled evilly:

 

“Come on, Bruce, say ‘Hello’ to Jimmy!”

 

“Bruce, hold on, okay?” The kid just nodded.

 

“You’re surrounded now! Let the hostages go! Let that kid go!” Yelled Bullock, his gun pointed toward Jerome. He couldn’t help but remember how Bruce screamed when he had been tied to that plank instead of him, when the knife had wounded him…Jerome laughed again and pressed his hostage against him more tightly, in a possessive gesture. “Why would I do that? After all, he is an awesome human target, you saw that by yourself!”

 

“YOU!”

 

Penguin’s voice covered everyone’s and they saw him stumbling and standing up, gun pointed at Jerome, and Jim’s eyes widened: he was going to shoot! And Bruce was right in his fire line! He grabbed Oswald’s arm and pointed it toward the ground. Oswald roared and tried to push him away.

 

“He killed my mother! That bastard…”

 

“Gertrud is alive!”

 

Bruce’s words cut off Penguin, who stood agape and unmoving. Jerome looked down at the boy, stunned. “You seriously saved the old hag?!”

 

“She is still in the tow…” He was interrupted by Jerome who violently tightened his grip around his torso, cutting off his breath.

 

“Enough talking, you!”He looked at Bullock: “You won’t risk Bruce’s life after what he did for you, will you?”

 

“You fucking bastard!”

 

Jim felt Oswald getting away from his grip. The mob boss ran toward the tower. Both cops looked once again at the dark-haired boy and couldn’t help but think that the clothes were probably hiding even more wounds.

 

“Bruce, it’s alright, we’ll get you out of here, okay?”

 

The kid just nodded, but those words made Jerome tighten his arm even more, hurting him. Bruce winced. “You don’t seem to get it, detective. If someone is doing everything to free him, it’s me!”

 

“It’s over, don’t you get it? You’re surrounded! We won’t let you leave, hostages or not!”

 

“Captain, do you really think I’m waiting for you to let us go? Nah, we’re just waiting for the drivers!”

 

What were they talking about? Yells of alarms echoed and they heard loud crashing sounds. Something violently hit the cars behind them.

 

They didn’t even register what was coming. Harvey, Jim and some people around just had the time to throw themselves aside before being hit as well. Jim fell and yelped in pain because of his wounded arm. His ribs also screamed from the impact. He looked behind his shoulders and his eyes widened as he saw what hit them: a bus. A motherfucking bus!

 

Shock made him quiver. He gaped as he saw that another bus just hit the other side, emerging from the closest street. Bullets flew again, the psychos went in along with their hostages. Jerome cackled as he dragged Bruce into the closest one.

 

“You should get them back if you don’t drive too fast!”

 

He tried to shoot him but his arms were trembling, his head was spinning and he missed. As the buses started to drive away, cops and gangsters who were still valid took the cars which hadn’t been crashed. Harvey went along, leaving Jim where he was, knowing he wouldn’t be in the right state for this. Still on the ground, Gordon felt strong hands grabbing him and he was about to struggle when he saw Alfred’s face.

 

“Come on, get up! He took Bruce!”

 

Obeying, Jim leaned against him to get back on his feet. He felt a wave of pain and his head spun again. Ahead of them, Harvey was driving with a woman working for Penguin and another cop. They both had their guns drawn out, ready to shoot at any occasion. Harvey was focused on the road, he was about to catch them! Another car was at his side, they had to keep tracking them, this wasn’t over! This…

 

Something was dropped from the bus.

 

It rolled down the road. Harvey hit the brake immediately. His hair stood in terror as he understood what was rolling. Or rather who was rolling. His car stopped in time, but the second car didn’t. He saw it bumping and rolling over a second body dropped. It stopped but too late. “What the fuck?!” The gangster had spoken but he paid no attention to her. The cars behind them stopped as well. He saw a woman tied and crying on the road, right before his car. A bit more and she would have been crushed! The man thrown after her had less luck. From afar, he saw a third hostages being thrown off the road. Shit! He untied the hostages quickly.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

She shook her head, quivering and crying. At least, she was alive and conscious. He realized it was useless trying to catch them. They had to rescue their own and the hostages first. Yet there was still one hostage who was their prisoner. Of all the horrors around, it was Bruce Wayne’s face which stayed implanted in Harvey’s mind.

 

**O o O**

 

The bus driver was overexcited, hitting everything he could, while the others were throwing the last hostages out of the bus. They were all cheering and laughing while doing this. Jerome swore they would do that kind of things again, he was hardly feeling the pain, even though his arm was half-covered with blood.

 

He was quite satisfied with what happened. It didn’t go as expected, but well, with no surprise, life had no fun. That’s what he told his followers, those words and the hostage-throwing was all they needed to retrieve motivation. They were so deep in madness they didn’t even care about life or death anymore. It was all good, he didn’t care about them, not for real. He didn’t want them dead, because they were useful, and some of them were really entertaining. But all in all, they weren’t really important. It was really fun when he thought about it: the ones who worshipped him didn’t matter, and the only one who mattered wanted to run away from him.

 

Thinking about him, he went to Bruce, and found him slumped on one of the seats, half on the ground. He frowned and pulled the boy up by the arm, only to have his head dangling. He was unconscious…He noticed some blood on the seat. Touching the boy’s temple, he felt the wound under his fingers. It was just a cut. He wondered how that happened, probably while he was trying to save the old scarecrow.  He shook him; Bruce wasn’t dying and yet something nagging started to crawl inside of him. Wanting him to wake up, Jerome shook him more but to no avail. It was frustrating!

 

It was impossible not to look at him right now. Arkham Asylum’s doctors were fond of pills and electroshocks, but he had occasionally gone through real therapy session. The doctor told him he had an unhealthy obsession over Bruce Wayne. By the way he had said that, he probably expected him to be disturbed by such declaration. Only, Jerome wasn’t surprised at all and he had embraced that fact completely. Bruce was under his skin, and that was all.

 

That nagging feeling continued. Why? Was he…Worried? That was stupid, he had been a bit worried for him when the bomb exploded, but now, he was here, alive? So why was he feeling like this. Didn’t matter, he would find a way to make it go.

 

They arrived at their new place. One of his followers had been in the streets for a long time, and he knew a place at the outskirts of Gotham which was currently occupied by tramps, junkies and other like that. They quickly chased/killed some of those while others asked to join them. Bruce had regained some spirits and Jerome passed the boy’s arm around his shoulders and circled his upper back. It wasn’t hard to find a place to sleep, most of the rooms were used for that. The one he got was quite at his liking, the previous occupant had lightened some candles in there to make up for the lack of electricity. It gave it a quite creepy and almost gothic atmosphere.

 

He laid the unconscious boy over the ‘bed’ improvised by those who inhabited the place before, took both their shoes off and slumped at his side. It was nothing but some mess of old covers which stunk but he didn’t care. Bad smells weren’t a problem after a life in a dirty circus with a dirty mother. He was feeling tired as well but he couldn’t close his eyes. He was just looking at him, and he grazed his hair again. Why was he so fond of his hair? He had no idea, and it didn’t matter.

 

His body quivered and Jerome covered both of them with the old but warm blanket. He looked liked a wounded, freshly captured animal. A cute feral animal, yes, Bruce was exactly that. Lovely, seemingly-fragile, but deadly. And he was the one who captured him, and that thought only was more empowering than all the terror he spread over the city. Though he rarely thought of the future, he wondered how Bruce would grow as a man. He kinda wanted to see that, he wouldn’t be cute anymore; he would be impressive and breath-taking, he was sure of it.

 

He continued to look at the boy, the blood on his temple was drying but it was still fresh enough. Bruce was unconscious…His lips were bleeding as well. Repositioning his head gently, he leaned to him and allowed their mouth to brush, just enough to taste the blood and feel the soft lips. The iron taste was almost maddening, it made his head spun and his body tremble: it had the taste of life. Feeling Bruce’s vivid, wild energy…To think those very same soft lips had been smeared with Derek’s blood, that behind those were teeth able to rip human flesh... He let their lips brush again, but something stopped him from going further. It was weird, like the sensation it would be…Wrong.

 

He looked at the unconscious boy. Yes, somehow, it would feel wrong. Instead he nuzzled his face up to his temple and kissed the cut here. The temple wasn’t as intimate and yet…Yet there was something enjoyable kissing him on that spot. He could feel a slight pulse against his mouth, the taste of cold soot and he loved that. Passing his arm around him, he snuggled closer. It felt strange to sleep with someone, it happened a few times with his brother, but rarely and it wasn’t like he had wanted it in the first place. It was the first time he was sleeping at Bruce’s side.

 

He was starting to doze off when he felt a move. Hands pushed against his chest and Bruce’s legs started to move. Immediately, he gripped his friend tighter and brought him against his chest again. He heard Bruce groan at this and he started to trash and squirm.

 

“Let go!”

 

“Calm down, kiddo!”

 

“Jerome?” At this, the redhead understood Bruce had just woken up with no idea of who was holding him. Bruce continued to try to push him, but he didn’t seem to be in panic anymore. “What are you doing?”

 

“Keeping you warm and safe, kid. This place has no doors we can lock; after what happened with Derek, I’m not taking any risks…”

 

A wave of pain went through Bruce and the boy stopped resisting, allowing Jerome to readjust the cover and his position. Nausea made him still and he really thought he was about to vomit when it finally lessened. After a long moment, he noticed Jerome wasn’t touching him in an inappropriate way, which was a bit reassuring. His arms were still against Jerome’s chest to keep some distance. He was feeling numb and he had a thousand questions in his head. Only one came to his mouth.

 

“When is this gonna stop?” He wasn’t even really asking Jerome, he was just saying it aloud. Jerome gripped him tighter.

 

“You’re not going anywhere; it’s up to you whether or not you’ll enjoy this.” Putting his forehead against his, Jerome repeated again in a whisper: “You’re not going anywhere.” Those were the last words Bruce heard before succumbing to numbness.  

 

**O o O**

 

Most people thrown on the road were injured but not dead. In fact, only two citizen died tonight, and considering what a battlefield it had been, the result was somehow satisfying. The bomb hadn’t caused as much damages as it should have, having exploded in the air and not directly on the tower. For now, it didn’t seem that it caused any direct death.

 

Many more cops and gangsters had succumbed that night, and it felt weird to think they had been on the same side. The only good thing was the fact a lot of cultists had been killed or arrested. Gertrud Cobblepot had been found as well. Jim was in hospital, even though the knife hadn’t wounded him that badly, it still needed to be taken care of. Alfred was there as well, even though his injuries were minors. He was mostly here to make a point with Jim.

 

“What happened in that tower?” Asked he to the butler.

 

“We got…Trapped I think. They attacked us while we were in the sewers. We eventually took them down, but it was enough to make us loose time…When we got in, I heard some of them above us calling for Bruce…It drove me mad. They had broken the elevator, and while we started to get up, some other of those lunatics started to attack us. When I finally managed to get up, I saw Bruce, but I was attacked and he…He got away.”

 

Alfred could have reproached Jim what happened, he had promised him to make sure Bruce would be safe and he failed. But he couldn’t, because he had been even worse! He had been face to face with the boy and he had been unable to get him back! He knew why Bruce ran away from him, but it was still painful! They both failed. Jim put a comforting arm on his shoulder.

 

“He was alive when he left. Jerome doesn’t want to kill him, it’s obvious.”

 

“That doesn’t mean he’ll survive.”

 

That was very true. It wasn’t the right moment to try to comfort him, he was too upset. Jim stood up.

 

“I’ll visit Oswald and Gertrud Cobblepot.

 

She was still under sedative when he entered her room. Penguin was at her side, obviously distraught. Jim went near him slowly:

 

“How is she?”

 

“She’ll make it…But her head was hurt, her cervicals went through some damages…She’ll never be able to walk or live normally again…”

 

Was it Oswald’s distressed look that made Jim felt so badly for him? For a simple moment, he was just a son worried for his mother. “I’m really sorry, she didn’t deserve that. At least she has you.”

 

“She does…” He turned to them. “We’ll continue to help. They didn’t just capture my mother you know, some of my guys have lost loved ones because of them. We’ll track them down.”

 

“Military enforcement are coming. But they can’t see you with us, we would all…”

 

“Jim, I’m certainly not letting that fucker get away.”

 

“I’m just saying we can’t work _together_ anymore. At least not in an open way like this.”

 

Penguin immediately understood. It was fine with him; he preferred to do things on his own. Jim got a bit closer: “Just, remember, we want Bruce Wayne to come back to us safe and sane.”

 

“Don’t worry, I will save him if I got the chance, and I’ll bring him back to you…My mom was…Half-conscious earlier, she spoke of a boy who untied her. I owe Wayne a big one.”

 

“Indeed. But, about rescuing Bruce, things will be…complicated, there is something else you must know.” He explained him about the bomb, Oswald wasn’t exactly someone trustworthy, but he wasn’t crazy enough to make a bomb blow. Oswald was more of a businessman, not a terrorist. His expression confirmed Jim’s thoughts: this wasn’t good to him. “So, we must find that bomb before saving the kid, if I got it right?”Jim nodded. “Alright, I’ll put some of my guys on that.”

 

He left Oswald here, and felt quite relieved Alfred hadn’t heard this. He felt guilty enough for what he just said. At least the military would come, that was a big relief to know they would have some help. Maybe they would finally be able to put an end to this nightmare. He eventually fell asleep thanks to the exhaustion only.

 

The next morning, he was about to leave hospital when he decided to visit Sarah Essen first. She was still being taken care of in here, and it was the right occasion for that. Lee had been the one to visit her and check up on her on a regular basis, and he wanted to do it at least for once.

 

“Hey, Jim,” she said with a smile, “you look like you got rolled over.”

 

“Honestly, I feel like it was the case,” he admitted while sitting down. He summed up everything she didn’t know yet, and she listened carefully. “It was risky to accept Penguin’s help, Jim. But I guess it paid off in the end.”

 

“That’s also what I think. Thing is, they seem to be a move ahead of us, all the time.”

 

“You mean because the snipers were surprised?”

 

“Yeah…It can’t be out of simple luck…Maybe they planned to shoot us from up there as well. And Alfred told me some of them tried to get them while they were still in the sewers.”

 

“A mole ratted everything out,” she declared. He stopped breathing for a bit. Being so overwhelmed by everything, he hadn’t considered that option. Of course, a mole seemed like the highest probability. Hell! But who?

 

“Oswald’s men were around as well. It could be one of them. But now, I guess Jerome would try to corrupt one of our guys, it would be much better for him,” Jim declared.

 

“That nutjob would think it’s fun!”

 

“…I have to tell Harvey and Alfred about this, I trust them more than anyone. I’ll warn Lee too, she is no cop but I don’t want her to be left in the blue.”

 

She took his arm gently, calling for his attention: “Is there something you want to talk about?”

 

He hesitated at first. It hurt him to speak about it, but if someone could understand, it was probably her. “…Bruce Wayne. I just…The kid risked his life saving that woman and I had to tell Oswald Cobblepot not to rescue him until we found the bomb.”

 

“I know, but it’s not as if you had no reason.”

 

“Yeah, but it feel so wrong! Like I’m sacrificing him…he’s only thirteen, he shouldn’t be going through something like that!”

 

She propped herself up a bit. “I know what it is to find ourselves in such situations. It won’t be the only one in your career, trust me. Sometimes there are no good solutions; you must remember that, no matter what some people say. But now there is one certain thing: that bomb is the problem, and whatever happens, you must find it. Focus on that and on the mole.”

 

With a smile, he murmured: “It’s good to have you as my boss again.”

 

“Make sure to remember that when I’m back.”

 

When he told Harvey, Alfred and Lee about the mole, it wasn’t in the police station, but in the flat he and Lee shared. Around a coffee and something to eat, he watched their reaction. Both Lee and Alfred looked stunned but Harvey wasn’t.

 

“It’s logical indeed,” he said. “They knew we were coming, they knew we would have people coming in the tower, too. You said they were waiting for you, weren’t they?” Asked he to Alfred.

 

“Yeah. The only thing I don’t explain is how Bruce managed to get past them, or how he escaped me.”

 

“We’ll get to that later, for now we have to figure out who the mole is. Lee, whenever you’re not into your lab, I want you to keep an eye for me on everything that happening. But stay discreet about it, okay?”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’m pretty sure Edward is out of this, though.”

 

“Nygma has always been kinda weird,” Harvey pointed out.

 

“Yeah, but he is spending most of his time with me; also we both were in our lab when you started talking about your operation last night. We both came in while you were already preparing, he couldn’t have heard any of it. Kristin Kringle can testify about it too.”

 

It was indeed putting Ed out of suspicions. Anyway Jim was pretty sure he was loyal, he remembered how sad Ed was when he was almost fired out of the GCPD. “Well, let’s hope we can make the guys we captured talk. Maybe they know the name of the mole,” Alfred sighed.

 

“We’ll have to interrogate them ourselves,” Jim pointed out, “If the mole is a cop, I don’t want them to communicate.”

 

“Then let’s go back at the station, I don’t want those assholes out of my eyes more than needed.”

 

When they returned to the station, they had the surprise to see it filled with military enforcement. Jim was relieved to see that, at least they would finally receive the help they should have gotten sooner. Harvey was a bit more skeptical. Although they were welcome, he knew how military could behave: as if the police was a bunch of lackeys. A man, a general it seemed advanced toward them.

 

“You’re Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock?”

 

“I fear so,” Harvey answered.

 

“I heard you took charge. Follow me.”

 

The two men went with him, leaving Lee and Alfred alone.

 

**O o O**

 

While the military was taking their quarters at the GCPD, the cultists were tending to their wounds and resting. Some of them had stolen drugs and some medical supplies. Doc was still alive and more needed than ever. Jerome’s arm was still sore but it was really nothing. It was almost comical that he was still alive even though they had all wanted to kill him. It was really a joke when he thought about it, he was the one they all wanted dead, yet he would always survive. If a God existed, he was surely laughing and Jerome preferred to laugh with him rather than being laughed at.

 

He had eaten something, spoke to some of his followers and returned to see Bruce who was still asleep. Doc had checked up on him and told Jerome he probably had a minor concussion and would probably just need some rest. He had cleaned Bruce’s wounds and Jerome was pretty sure the boy would be fine indeed. If he had managed to get down from the scaffolding, it meant he would survive.  

 

Jerome looked at the boy who was sleeping on his side, his head resting on his arms. Even though he knew Bruce wouldn’t escape because of the bomb, he felt reassured to see him. He liked to watch him while he was unaware of it. He felt in control, Bruce would be unable to react if he did something. When he was a kid, he had often done that to Jeremiah; at times, when his brother would sleep, he would play a trick on him…

 

Steps behind him interrupted his thoughts. “Hum, Jerome?” He looked at Dwight, who seemed a bit worried. “Yeah?”

 

“We lost many of ours. We have to find more people.”

 

“Don’t worry, madness is easily provoked. Anyway, there is a place where we’ll find a large amount of supply. We will even create some.”

 

“Where?”

 

“Arkham Asylum, of course! The loony factory of the city! I know by sure they’re very bored in their little rooms, we’ll give them the opportunity to get some fresh air.”

 

Dwight hugely smiled at this. It wouldn’t be easy to enter the place but it would be worth it! Releasing all the lunatics in there on the city…Oh that would be a great thing to see!

 

“We will do the same with the penitentiary, but only after Arkham.”

 

“When did you get that idea?”

 

“While I was watching him sleep. I was just wondering what could be his worst nightmares, and it gave me ideas.”

 

They were interrupted by a slight groan. Bruce shifted and mumbled a bit in his sleep. _He is dreaming…What could he dreaming about?_ It was nagging not to know…

 

“It doesn’t bother you that he defies you?”

 

Jerome shook his head. “I always liked his feisty attitude. I even encouraged it. I don’t want him to lose his stubbornness, or his insolence; I just want him to understand he is directing it in the wrong direction.”

 

He could see the disappointment in Dwight’s eyes and pointed his gun to his head. The man squirmed in fright and stopped breathing. “What…”

 

“I was told what you did while I was away, how you got angry at him and all. Remember, and this is my last warning: that one’s mine.”

 

“I know, I promise I’ll never do it again! Your…Your example with Derek was enough to teach me and everyone else, I’m sure,” he uttered nervously. Jerome smiled like a teacher at a student who just answered a question perfectly. “Good! Then, there is nothing you should worry about.”

 

He left a bottle of water and a sandwich next to Bruce while the boy was starting to emerge. A part of him wanted to stay with him, but he was also excited to go and prepare something new. Anyway, the boy wasn’t about to escape, he was pretty sure of that now. He had been a bit worried when the bomb exploded, but oh, how exhilarating it had been to see him get down in spite of everything, in spite of the danger! It would happen again, oh yes, he would make sure of that!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like that chapter as a lot of info and all, since several actions takes place at the same time. I initially wanted to show what happened to Alfred, but it would have been too much. Now I hope I balanced it well enough.
> 
> Next chapter will be less dense and we will see Jeremiah and Selina again! Don’t hesitate to review and ask questions if you have some, or point out mistakes or incoherences.


	15. Illusionists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you’ll enjoy that chapter, I’m really glad you liked the last one, I really wasn’t sure about it.
> 
> Important: Someone asked me on FFnet whether or not we would see Jeremiah descending into madness or not, the answer is no. I’ll show that Jeremiah isn’t exactly sane, but in that verse, Jerome will be the Joker. Thing is, I had the idea for that fic before seeing Jeremiah appear, I even had started writing some scenes. I added Jeremiah after seeing the episode, but since I really wrote the story thinking of Jerome as the Joker, I had no wish to change that, it would have invalidated the core of that fic. I might write a story with Jeremiah as future Joker, but it’s not the case here.
> 
> Waiting for the next episode is driving me mad, Jeremiah and Bruce are gonna kill it! In the meantime, I can at least write!

In contrary to what Bullock feared, General Hilliger listened with attention when they told him what happened. They spoke about the bomb and the mole as well; although they didn’t know that man, he wasn’t from Gotham, and there was no way he would have been in connection with Jerome. Therefore, that stranger was more reliable.

 

“So, if I got this straight, we have a bomb somewhere which will explode if a thirteen year old kid escapes the grasp of Jerome Valeska? A kid who also happens to be the heir of one of the biggest company of the country?”

 

“You got it right.”

 

“And you have no idea where it is? How did you learn about it?”

 

“It’s Bruce Wayne who gave us the message through someone else. Now, it could be a bluff from Valeska but since he doesn’t shy away from bombs…”

 

“Indeed, we can’t take any risks.” He sighed: “What is he demanding in exchange of Bruce Wayne?”

 

“Nothing at all. In fact he’ll probably prefer to blow his whole group of cultists rather than give him away. Look…” He retrieved the picture Jerome Valeska gave them through the two young hostages he released. Hilliger looked at it and saw a smirking Jerome Valeska holding an exhausted Bruce Wayne by the shoulders. He also read what was written: _Never been so happy in my life!_ _You’ll never catch me, and you’ll never get him back, Jimbo! XXX_

 

This seemed to stun the general. Jim could understand why, it would have seemed logical for a guy like Jerome to capture a kid like Bruce Wayne for money. But this was Gotham and that man would soon learn nothing would go normally here. “He’s obsessed with Bruce Wayne, they know each other personally, they used to be friends. His guardian would be able to tell you more than me. There is also this journal he wrote, we found it in Galavan’s flat.”

 

“I won’t have time to read it.”

 

“Dr Thompkins did, as long as Alfred Pennyworth. They’ll tell you what you need to know.”

 

“That’s Bruce Wayne’s guardian, from what I’ve been told? Do you really let a civilian assist you in your work?”

 

“Well, Pennyworth used to be in the army. And considering the great length of cops who were either injured or killed, we won’t refuse any competent help. Alfred Pennyworth knows both Bruce Wayne and Jerome Valeska, more than we do.”

 

“Alright. But from now on, we’ll do things as rightly as possible. I’ll speak with that Dr Thompkins, you captured some of the cultists I heard? Interrogate them.” He exited the room and Harvey shrugged: “Could have been worse I guess.”

 

They started with Simon, a man Alfred had fought off in the tower. They didn’t get much out of him, the only thing they got was that he didn’t like Bruce at all. “It was a loss of time trying to get him back, I wish that bomb killed him! Jerome overestimates him!”

 

They tried to make him tell where Jerome could be hiding, or where the bomb was, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he tried to attack Harvey who retaliated by knocking him out with a good punch. Laura was the next after that. The girl was trying to play tough, but Jim could see she was worried inside. It was something he had learned to recognize with time. Alfred was behind the glass, observing it all.

 

“You were with Jerome those last days, is it exact?”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“You were, we saw it on cameras.”

 

“If you know, why do you ask?”

 

“We want to know more.”

 

She just shut her mouth and didn’t utter another word. He tried to make her say where Jerome was, or where the bomb was, but she didn’t say a single word anymore. Suddenly, he saw Lee entering. He was surprised by her presence.

 

“Jim? I would like to speak to the young lady if you allow me.”

 

Although he was a bit surprised, he nodded and let her sat at his side, and she started: “Hi, my name is Lee. There is something I would have liked to ask you, it’s kinda personal actually. I was there during the Gala, I had been tied to the spinning wheel by Jerome and Barbara Kean. You probably saw the images.”

 

“Ha, yeah, the lady on the wheel! That was probably a bit embarrassing. Though I would have loved to do that, it must be funny to turn like this!”

 

“Well, that day, Jerome killed Barbara Kean but spared me. And it puzzled me. Why did he do that? Did he tell you? I’m a bit curious.” Truth to be told, Lee wasn’t that curious to know why Jerome spared her. But this was a legitimate and harmless question to start the conversation.  Laura shrugged slightly: “He mentioned that. The blondie was annoying, and he said he simply wished to mess up your mind a little. He knew you would torment yourself with that, wondering and feeling guilty.”

 

“Oh…He’s smart, I must admit it. I did think about it a lot.” Honestly, she didn’t want to praise Jerome Valeska, but she had to establish a contact with that girl. As a result, Laura smiled and rolled her eyes: “Of course he is smart! He is the prophet of a new world!”

 

“But why was he expecting me to feel guilty?”

 

“Because he killed her for you. Normal people are so uptight about those things!”

 

“Oh, not really, it’s not as if I asked him to do it.” She knew Jerome didn’t do it for her at all, he did it because he felt like it, point. “She tried to kill me, all that because I went out with her ex after _she_ broke up with him. She would accuse me of stealing her man while I actually met him after she left him. If you didn’t meet that kind of girls already, you probably will in the future.”

 

Laura let out a giggle: “Some bitches are a serious pain in the ass! I had a boyfriend once, my only boyfriend, and his bitchy ex just did everything to humiliate me…Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t feel guilty at all. If I were you I would be pissed off for not being the one who killed her! I’m pretty pissed off for not going after the bitch who bullied me. Aren’t you?”

 

“I would lie if I said it didn’t cross my mind, but I couldn’t have done it.” Laura tsked at that. “I’m sure you could, you just need to see the truth. You could join us, you know. If Jerome spared you the first time, then maybe he also sees potential in you. I’m sure he does!”

 

“So, he knows how to see that in people?” Jim asked, not wanting Laura to speak of Lee like that. “How can he spot that? How can he tell whether someone can have potential or not.”

 

She shrugged, obviously not wishing to have a dialogue with him.

 

“Laura, tell me, what do _you_ see in Bruce? I mean, you wouldn’t disrespect Jerome’s wishes I’m sure, but you probably have your own opinion,” Lee stated.

 

“Yeah, your other comrade doesn’t seem to like him,” Jim pointed out.

 

“Simon is an idiot. He doesn’t understand anything! Bruce has worth, he is a real badass! Not a whimp or anything like most of the idiots we kill. He belongs with us.” Those words made Alfred stir behind the tainted glass. To hear that maniac girl say such thing about his boy!

 

“Bruce Wayne isn’t a murderer like you. He did his best to save detective Bullock,” Jim reminded her, that girl had a spirit of contradiction and she would speak just to go against what he was saying. The girl rolled her eyes at this: “Yeah, for now, he behaves like you, but soon, he’ll understand, he’ll see the truth. He is a challenge for Jerome, he will be one of his best work. If you had seen how he tore off Derek’s lip, you would believe it!”

 

“What?!”

 

“Derek, the guy who tried to molest him!”

 

 _Molest him_? Those words made the three of them froze. She explained what happened, enjoying the memory. Upon hearing this, Alfred felt the need to throw up. This was worse than he imagined! He couldn’t let his boy go through that, no way! What if something already happened…He felt agitated, he wanted to break everything, he had to find Bruce!

Jim took a deep breath. What they just heard was alarming but also reassuring in some kind of way. Yes, Jerome’s followers could try to hurt Bruce, but obviously, Jerome was ready to protect him.

 

“Where is the guy’s corpse? I would like to see that by myself.” Laura was confused at this and he went on: “I mean, I can’t picture a thirteen-year-old boy tearing off a man’s lip like that! And I can’t imagine Jerome just easily reduce a human skull into pulp. Or maybe he wasn’t a man but a small guy…”

 

“No, he was a big man! But he was still whimpering like a pussy when Bruce tore off his lip. And I’m not inventing anything!”

 

“I’m a cop, I need proof to believe something.” He turned to his girlfriend. “Lee, could you tell me whether or not it’s possible?” Asked he, hoping she would get the hint.

 

“I would need the corpse for that…” She understood and turned to Laura: “You know, I’m a coroner, if I have the corpse, I can certify whether or not you’re telling the truth.”

 

Her curiosity was piqued and the girl asked: “How would you do that?” Lee explained her the process briefly and it seemed to spark the girl’s morbid curiosity. She did told them the address, after all, Jerome wasn’t here anymore and anyway, he would have wanted them to see what Bruce did. “Could I see you doing the autopsy?”

 

“It’s not possible.”

 

“Come on, please!”

 

It seemed to be important to her and it gave Jim a new idea. She was a teenager and she thought herself smarter than them. He could play on that. “Maybe I would make it possible, if you’d tell us something.”

 

“What?”

 

“We know for sure that Jerome has a way to know what we’re doing. In fact, we are pretty sure he has a mole in that place.”

 

“I won’t tell you who it is.”

 

Ha! Now it was confirmed, there was a mole indeed. “I guessed you wouldn’t. I’m just curious to know how Jerome would have gotten anyone from here. He didn’t approach the police station since the shooting.”

 

“Maybe he didn’t have to.”

 

“So, it’s a cop who came to him by themselves?”

 

“A thick-headed cop like you wouldn’t be able to figure it out even if I spelled the name.”

 

“Then, give me a hint. You don’t have anything to fear if we’re all idiots, and you’ll get what you want.”

 

She seemed to hesitate. “Will I really see you work on Derek’s body?” Jim nodded. “Okay…I can tell you he hears everything you say.”

 

Standing up, Jim took Lee by the hand and led her outside with him. He took her in his arms and they tightly pressed each other. “Thank you for helping. You thought a little girl-talk would make her talkative?”

 

“Yeah. _He hears everything you say_. Don’t you think it’s weird?”

 

“Let’s hope some of it is true. It would be a man…” He stroked her face. “There is no way I’m letting her around you while you’re working on that guy.”

 

She was about to say something when Alfred interrupted. “So, what are we doing?”

 

“We’re getting that mole and we’ll send people to that address. I don’t know if we’ll find much, but it’s worth checking out.”

 

Hilliger sent some of soldiers to check out the place, Alfred went with them while Harvey and Jim started to make a list of suspects.

 

“ _He hears everything you say_ , it’s a bit weird, don’t you think? And it could be any cop listening with attention. But now it’s a teen, she probably thinks it was very subtle, but I bet it’s more obvious than she intended.”

 

“Who takes care of the security cams, here?” Asked Jim

 

“It’s usually Cameron, but he is in hospital since three days. He hadn’t been replaced since.”

 

Jim swore between his teeth when he heard a phone ringing. His guts contorted and he stood up. He looked down at the person answering the phone from the standard. _Hears everything_ …Who was better to spy on them than the person handling most of the communications and sitting in the main hall?

 

**O o O**

 

The morning after the tower events, Bruce was feeling nauseous. Maybe he had eaten too quickly the sandwich Jerome had left for him, but he had been starving! His head still felt sore, just like the rest of his body, but he was feeling already better. He could hear the followers in the building and was definitely relieved to be alone in that room. He didn’t need anybody around with him, and he certainly didn’t want to see their faces after what happened. He rubbed his face and felt the dirt. Hell, he was still covered with soot and blood…He used some water in the bottle Jerome gave him to clean his face and hands a bit. Just this made him feel already better, now all he needed was some fresh air.

 

He walked slowly to the window and his stare softened as the gentle wind stroke his face. He was happy to see no one was here. He closed his vest to protect himself, it was still cold outside but it felt kinda good. The street below was quiet, only a few people passed hurriedly, as if they didn’t want to linger here. He thought of the tower, and wondered if Gertrud was alive, and if Alfred was alright. He wished he could have watched the news to know more. Was his guardian mad at him for running away? He remembered how he called for him…But at least he was alive…Unless something happened to him in the meantime…It was almost maddening to have those questions running through his head. He also thought of the other hostages, of the corpses he saw below…All those deaths and for what?

 

Jim Gordon also appeared in his mind, he was also messy when he had seen him. He clearly remembered his words: _“Bruce, it’s alright, we’ll get you out of here, okay?”_ It gave him hope to think about that, there were people who were looking out for him…There were good people in Gotham who weren’t about to let him or the city down. A wave of pain hit him and he took several deep breaths to try to dissipate it. He needed to keep his head clear.

 

“Ha! Gotcha!”

 

Bruce’s heart almost broke his ribs at this. He gripped the arms encircling him and looked back even though he perfectly knew it was Jerome. Elbowing him in the ribs, he freed himself from the boy’s hold. “Ouch, Bruce! You’re a vicious jerk, you know that?!”

 

“Yeah, you can talk!”

 

“Did I scare you?” Asked he on a mocking tone.

 

“I wasn’t scared!” Jerome laughed in disbelief. Bruce wanted to hit him, but it would be absolutely useless for now. “Did we really…Sleep in each other’s arms?”

 

“More like you slept in my arms. I wouldn’t have minded you to hug me back.”

 

“As if I would do that!”

 

“You did in the past.”

 

“Yeah, before you became a murderer.” It was true, he remembered how he hugged Jerome after Zack beat him, and how they would occasionally hug in a friendly/brotherly way. “And it wasn’t the same, you….It was…”

 

“Like a lover’s embrace?” He laughed again at Bruce’s face. “I can’t help it if you’re so cuddly!”

 

“I hope you’re trying to scare me.”

 

“Maybe there is a bit of that! But now, you shouldn’t be so uptight, I held you against me, and believe it or not, I really wanted to keep you warm. But now, maybe you’re like that because you never got anything closer to a romance…”

 

Bruce almost said he already kissed, but he held himself. He would rather not have Selina exposed. Instead he just looked at him defiantly: “Why? Would you be jealous if I did?”

 

“A bit. But now, it would be hypocritical of me. Remember when I kissed you? After you ran away, I went downtown and found a boy willing to screw. A nice little brunet, a bit older than me. You know, it’s funny, but I used to have a thing for blonds, but that changed. Wonder why…”

 

The boy rolled his eyes at this. “How many people died last night?”

 

“Not enough in my opinion. I can’t believe you really saved that old scarecrow by the way.”

 

“Did you really have to hurt her? An old woman!”

 

“Oh come on, you know, it kinda saved her life in the end.” Bruce frowned at this. “Yeah, I found her into one of Galavan’s hideout. The guy guarding her said she was used for blackmail. I decided it could be fun to give her some spotlight.”

 

Bruce didn’t even know what to say. He could have told him how much this was disgusting, but it would be useless, Jerome wouldn’t listen. Thankfully enough, he didn’t see him much that day and he got plenty of time to rest and heals his wound. He managed to get outside and found a public faucet in an alley which allowed him to clean himself more efficiently. He had been shivering because of the cold wind and the cold water but he had to learn how to resist that. Nothing much happened, they were mostly resting and planning. He tried to know what they were preparing, but neither the cultists nor Jerome allowed that. Maybe he would be able to do it tonight. Jerome wasn’t with him, he had gone with a boy and a girl and in spite of his young age, Bruce perfectly knew what they were doing. That was perfect; at least it would give him an opportunity to discover what was going on. He waited a bit; the cultists were still around, awake and drinking.

 

He slid through a corridor avoided carefully being seen or heard by those who were still awake. He couldn’t help but feel the excitement of moving into the dark, being a shadow those murderers couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. He found the room where Jerome and Dwight had worked and got in. He saw several plans, it seemed like a facility or something…The name of the place wasn’t written at all, though; it could be anywhere…But he saw medical words, maybe this was a hospital or something.

 

He heard Jerome swearing from afar and he immediately left. He returned as stealthily as possible, and went back under the old cover. It was just in case, after all, Jerome would probably do whatever he was doing until now. But since he had sounded close, it would have been…

 

He heard footsteps approaching. He frowned and stopped breathing. It got closer. He turned round to look who was coming. A hand suddenly pinned him down. Air left his lungs. A knife was pressed against his neck. Jerome’s breathing fell on his face, it was ragged and Bruce couldn’t say a word at first. The pressure of the blade was enough to cut, but it was here. He had to calm down, he had to…Jerome was straddling him he realized; he was pinning him down and straddling him…

 

“Do you think I was weak? Do you think I deserved this too?”

 

Speak! He had to speak. He took a deep breath, he did already, it wasn’t the first time Jerome had a knife under his neck after all: “W…What?”

 

“Do you think I’m weak because I couldn’t fight them off? Because I cried when my uncle or my mother would burn me or beat me?”

 

His voice…His voice sounded distressed, he sounded…For the very first time in a while, he sounded human and _vulnerable_. What went wrong? “No.” The pressure lessened a bit. “They’re the ones who…Were weak. They ganged up on you while they were supposed to protect you. There no bigger proof of weakness than ganging up on someone who was supposed to rely on you, especially a child.” Tentatively, he put his hand on Jerome’s wrist and started to pull the knife away from his neck. The boy went on, murmuring gently: “I always thought so. I always despised your mother and your uncle for what they did. It didn’t change; what they did to you was disgusting, and you didn’t deserve it.”

 

A shaky huff followed those words: “…What the hell is wrong with you…Nobody ever helped. So why did you?” The despair and the sincerity of the question made his throat tighten, and it wasn’t fear this time.

 

“The real question is why nobody else ever did? You should have been helped, sooner.” _And by someone more capable than me…_ But it seemed like he kept failing people…Jerome sighed and he could feel it on his face.

 

“It doesn’t count. You care about everyone. Even people you don’t know.”

 

This time, Bruce propped himself up a bit and leaned toward him, not scared by their proximity. “How many times will I have to tell you? You were my best friend. I do care about human life, yes, I care about people. But…I cared about you because you were you.” This made Jerome’s hold on him lessen. He pushed the kid down again but gently this time, slumped and landed on his side right beside Bruce. He looked at him.

 

“I want you to care only about me.”

 

“That’s impossible.”

 

“You still want to leave.”

 

Still laying on his back, the dark-haired boy just nodded. Without a word, the redhead pulled him in his arms once again. But this time, Bruce didn’t find the strength to resist, no matter how uncomfortable he could feel. “I dreamed about my childhood,” he breathed. “There are times, I just want to murder them all over again.”

 

His grip over him tightened again and Bruce hesitated. He knew what Jerome wanted right now. It wouldn’t solve anything, not at all. And yet something was pressing him to do it. Slowly, he passed his right arm around Jerome’s form. He didn’t need to see the redhead’s surprise at this. He didn’t even know why he was doing that as well. What would everyone think? What would the people Jerome hurt think? And Jim Gordon? Jeremiah? Selina? Alfred? His parents…Did that meant he was approving what Jerome did?

 

And yet…Yet an image flashed through his mind. It was back then, while walking toward their caravan, he had seen Jerome’s mother yelling at him, saying horrible thing, insults and all, saying how she wished she had just killed him at birth…His friend had just sneered and taunted her. He had immediately been to Jerome’s side and it had made his mother stop. And of course, he remembered the time he had walked on Zack beating him. They were responsible too! But Jerome couldn’t be excused so easily…

 

Jerome’s hold on him tightened and Bruce gripped the redhead harder. They both wanted to comfort each other. They both wanted to rip each other to threads. They both wanted to yell, to vomit their hearts out until they would feel empty and exhausted.

 

They chose to remain silent instead, to just bask a bit in that moment of peace before returning to their conflict. Bruce closed his eyes and allowed Jerome to feel his presence. They could rest before hurting each other again.

 

The next morning, Jerome had left already. Bruce practiced a bit, while being alone, feeling already much better. In fact, practicing gave him more energy. He eventually stopped and went to the window. He looked at the streets below, still so quiet…

 

As he was thinking, a flash of light suddenly hit his eyes. He blinked and wondered what it could be. It happened once more and he snorted and looked up, trying to see where it came from.

 

He gaped. It was…Oh God!

 

**O o O**

 

It was around noon when Selina and Jeremiah finally found what they searched for. They had hijacked a car to move around easily, and thank to her street relations, they had been able to track down Jerome and his psychos. Now, they had been able to

 

“Okay, they’re in here.”

 

“I guess even in that kind of situation, people won’t call the police,” Jeremiah sighed.

 

“What’s the point? They’re overworked anyway. People here survive as they can. So now what do we do?”

 

“We try to locate Bruce in the building and if we can, we manage speak to him. Maybe we should try to get in the other building to observe them. I read Jerome’s journal, I don’t think he chose a random spot to put the bomb, you know. Whatever it is, it will have…A meaning, I think.”

 

“It seems logical.”

 

“Not for my brother, doing something randomly would be like him, but not when it comes to Bruce.”

 

“Alright…Let’s got into the other building, we’ll observe them from here.”

 

It wasn’t hard to enter somewhere, most of the building was empty and people who used to be in there deserted it. From their spot, Selina and Jeremiah could see and hear a bit of what was happening in the other building. For now, there weren’t many moves, but it wouldn’t last. Both were sitting by the windows and Selina was growing bored while Jeremiah continued to read the copies he made of Jerome’s journal.

 

“How was it to grow up with him?” Asked she

 

“…Pretty scary at times. Now I must admit it taught me a lot.”

 

“Growing up in a dangerous situation always teach people a lot. It’s that or dying.”

 

“Yeah, I guess we both know a lot about it.”

 

She snorted. She was pretty sure what kind of discourse he would have and she didn’t like it. Many people said those things without understanding. “Please, don’t try to tell me we’re the same or that you…”

 

“No, we’re not the same, one common point doesn’t make us that similar. For example, you’re an only child and I’m not.”

 

This was enough to let her breathless. “How do you know that?! Bruce told you?”

 

“No, I just know how to recognize that in someone. I can’t explain how, I just do.”

 

This was kinda upsetting, she had always did her best to remain as unreadable as possible and most of times, she would succeed. The sliest thieves and thugs in the streets of Gotham wouldn’t be able to figure her out, but this nerdy guy could? It wasn’t much, but it was enough to upset her a bit.

 

“Let me guess, you put up with this by working and staying in your own little world, hoping he would leave you alone.”

 

“It wasn’t my only way to deal with all that mess, but it was one,” he replied, apparently not touched in the slightest by her words. He was looking at the copies once again.

 

“I saw some people doing that. Eventually, reality always catches them back.”

 

He turned back to her and tilted his head while looking straight into her eyes. “Is it a simple observation? Or something else?” She couldn’t help but look away, something about him was making her uncomfortable right now. And maybe she went a bit too far. “I was just saying that because it’s true.”

 

“Don’t worry for me, I already learned that by now…And I’m pretty sure Bruce is learning a lot as well. Dangerous situations, right?”

 

“Yeah…” A short silence followed and the tension eased up. Her mind went again to her captive friend.

 

“He told me you met at the circus. Why did you became friends, teenagers usually don’t hang around with kids of that age.”

 

“Oh, I usually didn’t, I hated when the children of the circus would come and bother me. But they were just ordinary, boring kids. Jerome wasn’t fond of them either; but Bruce was different.”

 

“Different how?”

 

He huffed a bit: “Why so curious? And why did you befriend him?”

 

“Dunno, it just happened. I guess I could be here only for the money.”

 

“Are you?”

 

She didn’t answer, only grinned a bit instead. Jeremiah didn’t need an answer to this, he perfectly knew money wasn’t her motivation, it was obvious. Didn’t matter, he could let believe she confused him if it was so important to her. Observing the building again, he saw shadows and figures moving.

 

“Seems like they’re waking up. You know, I wonder how they spend their time when they aren’t chasing and killing people.”

 

“Probably looking up for food and stuff like that or nursing their wounds,” she suggested.

 

“Not really exciting if you ask me. But maybe I’m too sane to understand.”

 

“Yeah, just like we’re too sane to understand their questionable dressing choices!”

 

“Yeah, let’s put it that way!”

 

They both chuckled a bit, their moods lightening a bit. After everything that happened, it felt good. These last days, they had mostly practical talks, when Selina wasn’t outside searching for the psychos and Jeremiah not in the car working on what he had about his brother. She shifted her position a bit when her heart jumped in her chest. She straightened up and took her binoculars again and gaped as she saw Bruce at a window. She told Jeremiah and both tried to wave at him. They couldn’t call out for him; they would have been surely heard.

Selina took out a small mirror she often had with her. It was a very useful tool to check corners without leaving your hiding spot. She found the best angle and allowed the rays of light to hit the surface. It made a light flash.

 

“Be careful! They could see it!”

 

“We have to take that risk…”

 

Bruce rose his head, he had seen the light and they immediately noticed how his posture changed. He waved back at them, and Selina pointed the top of his building. He mimicked her to confirm whether she wanted him to go up or not. She nodded vigorously and she saw him running back inside. She didn’t know whether or not something had happened or if he was just searching his way up, but they would go there anyway.

 

“Come, let’s go and find the fire-escape.”

 

They went down but as they were about to get out, they saw several cultists getting out. “Shit!” She hissed. “Okay, I’ll distract them, you reach that rooftop, be careful.” Before he could protest or say anything, she was sliding out. She acted as if she was trying to discretely get away, but made sure some of them noticed her. She didn’t fail. They started to pursue her and she ran through the streets; If they thought they could catch her easily, they’d have a big surprise!

 

Jeremiah sneaked out just after. A few of them were around, but he avoided being sighted. He had spent his entire childhood avoiding unwanted stares. He could do it again. He hid behind cars, crossed the street quickly, went into the closest alley and spotted the fire-escape. He climbed as quickly as he could. He was a bit out of breath when he reached the top. He immediately saw no one was here. Shit! Where was Bruce? Maybe he didn’t make it, maybe he was being watched? As he had those thoughts, he heard the rooftop access door opening.

 

“Bruce!”

 

They rushed to each other and hugged, Jeremiah gripped him tightly, he smelled of sweat and dirt, but it didn’t matter at all. He was alive, it was all that mattered. “Are you okay?” Asked he as he saw the wound on his temple.

 

“I’ll be fine…Where is Selina?”

 

“She made a distraction for the psychos, she told me to come here. I hope she’ll manage.”

 

Bruce was immediately worried and prayed Selina’s stealth wouldn’t fail her. Jeremiah called him back: “We don’t have much time, do you know where the bomb is?”

 

“Not exactly, but one of them said I would have a lot to lose if I escaped, more than I think.” He remembered Dwight’s words really clearly, that outburst of jealousy had been tale-telling in many ways. “I think the location would be linked to me in some ways.”

 

“Okay, I’ll remember that.”

 

“Jeremiah, Jerome also has some plans, from a facility he plans to invade, I didn’t really had time to study those, but he is planning something big and it looked like it was a hospital or something like that.”

 

“A hospital?”

 

Bruce nodded. He was about to speak again when they heard the door opening. Jerome appeared with a gun in his hand.

 

“Run!” Bruce yelled.

 

Immediately, Bruce rushed to his enemy. He grabbed Jerome’s arm and slammed it violently against the wall to make Jerome release the weapon. The gun fell and Bruce received a punch in the face. He retaliated with a kick, stopping Jerome from getting it back. He threw himself at the redhead and punched him between the ribs before hitting him with his elbow again. Jerome pushed him away and hit his side hard before pushing him violently against the closest wall. He turned to see his brother had disappeared. Fuck!

 

He went to get the gun again but Bruce rushed to him and he just had the time to dodge and kick the boy away. They threw at each other once more, Jerome passed his arm around the boy’s neck, strangling him and pinning him against his chest. Bruce bit him violently and sent his skull back to hit his nose.

 

“Ouch!” Jerome released him under the shock and the boy hit him the ribs. He hadn’t been able to break his nose, but Jerome was still bleeding. Bruce attacked again, but this time, Jerome hit him in the chest, making back away. Bruce threw another punch at Jerome who blocked it and hit him in the ribs before punching his stomach. The boy lost the air in his lung and was bent in half; he received another punch on the temple this time. He was thrown on the ground. Jerome took back the gun ran to the staircase, trying to get sight of his brother. Regaining his breath back, Bruce got up on his feet and caught his arm. Jerome tried to hit him with the barrel of his gun but Bruce backed away and dodged.

 

“He escaped you, don’t you see?!” The boy taunted while backing away from Jerome. “Seems like your nerdy brother isn’t that easy to take down, after all!”

 

This was enough to make Jerome twice madder at him.

 

Meanwhile, Jeremiah was running toward the car when a young man appeared. He was at first stunned at his sight but drew out a knife. He dodged the attack just in time and took out his blade as well. But Jeremiah wasn’t such a good fighter. After missing him, the guy kicked the back of his legs, taking him out of balance, the redhead fell on the ground. The guy went to stab him when someone suddenly kicked him. Selina! She hit him in the throat and punched him in the chest. Jeremiah got up and stabbed his upper chest. The guy fell down and for a slight moment, the redhead felt vertigo.

 

He had stabbed him…He had been able to stab a man in the chest and it had been so easy…He was light-headed, but not because he was feeling bad. He felt…Powerful.  

 

A hand grabbed his arm and shook him. “Come on, we have to go!”

 

They got into the car as more cultists arrived and they just had time to drive away. They made several turns through the city to make sure they would lose any pursuer before stopping near the GCPD. Selina looked at him, he had a slight grin. Simply thinking of what happened…He should have felt upset, he knew that, but he couldn’t feel like he was happy. That couldn’t be right? He wasn’t his brother, after all. But that guy had been an enemy, yes, surely this was the only reason, he hadn’t stabbed an innocent person, but a man who would have killed him and Selina if he had gotten the chance. Yes, surely he was just happy because he took down an enemy.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Hum? Yes, I am, what about you?”

 

“Fine, fine, did you see Bruce?”

 

“Yeah, he joined me on the rooftop, but Jerome interrupted us.” He summed everything up to her and she looked worried. “What is your brother gonna do?”

 

“He won’t kill him, he’ll…Probably hurt him, but he won’t kill him.” He hoped he was right. “But, let’s get in…I think I have an idea where the bomb could be, I just need to check something out…” He read something and his eyes lightened. “Shit!”

 

“Where? Did you figure it out?”

 

“Wayne Entreprises.”

 

Her eyes widened. Shit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought! I enjoyed writing Bruce and Jerome's fight very much! Now what will he do to Bruce? That's another story.


	16. Mirrors and Mazes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! The next chapter is up, with a new Past moment, it had been a long time we didn't have those. that one was one I accidentally deleted, I had to rewrite it. Hope you'll like it!

**Past**

 

It was summer, and Bruce would go to the circus more often than usual. It didn’t leave Gotham that year, some accidents stopped them from going on their usual tour. It was a bad thing from the circus, which would try to organize events and all to make up for that loss, but at least he could see his friend. Jerome was very happy of that, he told Bruce the tours were kinda boring and repetitive in the end.

 

Jerome was filling the horses’ drought when he found him. “Need some help?”

 

“Nah, it’s not much. Although…Yeah, come over here.”

 

Bruce approached with no wariness when Jerome turned the hose to him and splashed him. Bruce yelped in surprise and backed away. “Jerome!” The redhead just laughed at this.

 

Trying to splash him once more, he didn’t react in time when the younger boy took an empty bucket, passed it through the half-filled drought and splashed his friend with it. Jerome stilled for a short instant, mouth open in a silent laugh. He huffed and Bruce laughed and was about to fill the bucket again when Jerome splashed him once more. They ran round, laughing and splashing each other. At a point, when they were soaked in water and almost out of breath, Jerome dropped the hose and rushed to Bruce. Before the boy could react, Jerome had grabbed him, hoisted him a bit and took him toward the drought.

 

“No!”

 

The boy struggled, still amused though he had no wish to end up in the water. He freed himself from the redhead who tried to grab him again and started to run. He looked behind and playfully yelled: “Come catch me!”

 

 “You bet I will!” Jerome started to run after him, people around looked them with amusement or annoyance but neither boys would care. The brunet was faster than Jerome; he ran toward the little fair going along with the circus and saw the mirror house was open. Without thinking, he went inside and realized it wasn’t enlightened. It wasn’t working at all, the door had probably been left open after cleaning, or something. He could smell a product, they probably left it open to let it all dry faster.

 

Bruce regained his breath and looked at the inside. It wasn’t like in the movies; the sun would be reflected, but the rays of light would grow dimmer and dimmer at each mirror. So darkness was slowly invading the whole place. Bruce advanced a bit, the atmosphere was a bit scary but also fascinating…

 

“Ah!”

 

Bruce yelped in surprise as Jerome suddenly jumped on him, catching him by the shoulders. The redhead was laughing heartfully: “Tag, you’re it!”

 

Bruce pushed him away playfully but laughed as well. When the laughter died, Bruce looked again at the room and Jerome understood: “Wanna go explore? It’s pretty exciting!” Bruce nodded and they started to venture inside. It was kinda weird, in the daylight this was probably very ordinary but there was something weirdly mysterious in here right now. Bruce was breathing silently, looking at everything around…What if he got lost? Wait…Where was Jerome?

 

“Brucie…”

 

The way Jerome was calling him send shiver in his entire body. It was playful but kinda spooky too…A bit like this house. He sounded like some kind of boogeyman.

 

“Where are you…?”

 

“Stop trying to scare me!”

 

He heard a giggle and right now he wanted nothing but scare him return. He looked around; maybe that semi-darkness would play in his favor. He had worked on his stealth and managed to learn how to walk silently. He watched attentively around and spotted Jerome moving through one of the mirrors.

 

“Bruuuce…”

 

With a big grin, the redhead was walking slowly, savoring the suspense. He liked to spook people, but with Bruce, it was even better. The boy wasn’t easily afraid, he was bold enough to let someone throw a knife at him, that’s why hearing the slight angst in his voice felt even better. He was advancing slowly and felt that thrill he usually felt whenever he would try to sneak up on someone, but this time the target was more exciting. And that was a thrilling place to chase the kid! As he was thinking about this, he realized he couldn’t see him anymore. Where was he? Didn’t matter, he knew that place well enough.

 

“Where are you hiding…” He couldn’t help but sound creepier than intended. He didn’t want to freak him out too much, just a bit. He couldn’t hear him respond, in fact, he couldn’t hear him walking anymore. He knew Bruce was stealthy, he had told him he was practicing on that. He wondered how it would be to get Jeremiah in here, in such a moment…His twin would probably be terrified…But how could he make that happen? Jeremiah wasn’t stupid enough to get in without a good reason.

 

He saw a slight move and grinned. His friend wasn’t as good as he thought! He silently walked toward him, he was pretty sure he would get Bruce at the next turn. He rshed but saw no one. Maybe his friend moved and…A sudden push made him jolt.

 

“Ha! Gotcha!”

 

He turned round to see Bruce behind him, giggling happily. Shit! He really startled him this time! “You little bastard!”

 

“You’re one to talk.”

 

Their laughter died and Jerome looked around: “What if we’re lost? Sometimes it’s really hard to find the way out.”

 

“Stop trying to scare me!” This time, he sounded more convincing.

 

“Hey, is there somebody in here?” They heard the voice of the owner and got out as he told them he was about to close. With the hot summer wind, their damped clothes weren’t a problem at all; Jerome tried to chase Bruce again, until they were both out of breath and dried up.

 

**Present**

 

The world was spinning, Bruce’s vision was blurry and he was hearing strange things. He saw something that looked like a strange grinning cat, and he could hardly understand how and why that thing was here. Instead, he felt like he was starting to float into some kind of fog, and the very same grinning cat was all the time above him. He was scared, he saw other disturbing things, he saw cut fingers around him as well, he saw faces contorting, constantly changing of forms.

Then he saw a strange monster above him which looked like a bat, it was flying above him, getting closer and closer. He saw other bats around, many, many of them, they were flying around him. Strangely, he was feeling fascinated, he almost wanted to fly with them, and he realized he could. He was feeling good, relieved of pain, of fear. Ultimately, the strange bat-shadow befell on him. Bruce yelled as the thing was melting with his entire being, becoming a part of him as well.

 

Then darkness and silence. He felt like he was plunging into some weird bliss.

 

Memories progressively replaced the strange dreams. Those seemed to pop alternatively, with no logic following. He remembered his parents’ burial, then one normal day when they had been stuck in the traffic and played multiple games to pass the time. He also remembered school, how that Tommy jerk taunted him about his parents’ death, how Jerome took him to his house so he could get back at him. And he also remembered the day when he and Jerome had been into the mirror house after playing with water. It was a nice memory in spite of everything. He wasn’t completely awake, but at least the weird dream was over. He was feeling…Weird.

 

He was trying to recollect the most recent memories, but he couldn’t, older memories would hit him instead. He tried to move but his body felt heavy…The syringe! Yes…After fighting against Jerome, the redhead had half-dragged him inside and hit him again. Then, he had taken a syringe and injected him with something. The cultists always had drugs and other stuff to get high around. Jerome forced that into his system, even though he had struggled.

 

_Stop it! Get that away from me!_

_You asked for it, Bruce! And it’s not over!_

 

He remembered that exchange between him and Jerome before succumbing…It was foggy, but it was enough to explain what happened. But now…What? Where was he? What was happening? Why was he so cold?

 

His body was starting to shiver uncontrollably, yet he couldn’t open his eyes. He felt heavy, really heavy and something seemed to envelop most of his body. After some deep breath, he managed to move his hand slightly and realized what it was: water. His body was in the water. What?!

 

After some moments, he regained some spirits, opened his eyes with difficulty and saw he was in a tub. What? The sensation of his wet clothes against his skin was uncomfortable and he was feeling a bit nauseous. It took him a moment to realize it was strange, there had been no running water in the old building they were in, so how was it he was in a tub filled with water? They probably went into another building, some followers had suggested others places to Jerome, either some they used to live in, or others they knew to be deserted or often taken by criminals of all sorts. _They all choose the most dangerous streets, where they know people are less likely to call the cops_. That wasn’t really a thought, more like the echo of a previous thought. Was he in that kind of places? He tried to get up but his body felt really heavy. Oh…And his mind…

 

He winced and as his eyes closed, he started to see strange things again, as if his crazy dream resurfaced. Nausea hit him once more. He heard something near him and tried to open his eyes. When he did, his heart jumped as he saw the smirking cat leaning over him. The animal spoke to him.

 

“Bruuuuce....Brucie...Anybody there?”

 

Then, it wasn't a cat anymore grinning at him, but Jerome. He tried to recoil but just hurt pressed himself harder against the tub.

 

“Ah, you’re finally emerging! Jeri definitely knows how to prepare crazy stuff, and it’s not her hardest shit, you know!” His face grew more serious and angry: “After all, I need you to have a clear mind.”

 

Bruce was still feeling nauseous and lost, he blinked several time to stabilize his vision. His head ached and he winced in pain.

 

“Why…”

 

“Well, we got some thing to discuss, don’t we?”

 

He actually wanted to ask why he was in a tub, but obviously Jerome didn’t understand. Or maybe he did, because of his next action. He suddenly grabbed Bruce’s hair and pushed his head under the water brutally.

 

Bruce started to trash against his hold, but he was still weak, and his motions didn't do much Water entered his mouth too quickly and it seemed like he was not only drowned but strangled as well. Jerome’s hands had him pinned underwater and he fought against those, trying to get his head out. The coldness and the lack of oxygen were painful. He sent one of his arms toward a face, hoping he would get Jerome. His nails dug harshly into a cheek, making his captor release his hold, and the other hands stopped pinning him as well.

 

Bruce jerked up, breathed in deeply and saw Jerome laughing madly while holding his cheek. He tried to get out of the tub but he was sent back in immediately. He tried to resist but he was soon submerged again. His lungs hurt the most, but his whole body was suffering from the cold. At least he got some gulps of air. He had to get out, he had to get up!

 

He was pulled out once more and Jerome allowed him to catch his breath again before speaking: “What did you tell my brother?”

 

He gave no reply. He was unable to think of an answer right now. Jerome pushed him into the water once more in spite of his attempt to resist.

 

Even under water, he could hear Jerome's laugh and it infuriated him. How dared he to laugh when he was suffering like this?! But it was what he liked...All of sudden, Bruce stopped moving and let his body go lax. He was still very conscious but had understood one thing: he was just amusing Jerome and using all his forces uselessly. He had trained himself to remain under water, the time had come when this training would be useful. In a flash he remembered the day Selina found him in the pool, training himself to stay underwater as long as possible. She had told him it would be useless. If he ever managed to find her again, he would have to tell her. Selina...How badly he wanted to see her...

 

He was pulled out of the water more quickly than he thought, and he gulped air greedily before coughing. Jerome wasn't laughing anymore.

 

“You haven't fainted. Why the hell won't you move?”

 

“Because...” he coughed again. “I won't give you that pleasure.”

 

At this Jerome huffed in disbelief, his friend would never stop to surprise him!

 

“Still so feisty…Let’s test your limits!”

 

He was plunged in the water again. He remained motionless, he thought of his training, he thought about Gordon, Alfred, Selina, his parents...He wanted to tell those two strong men that he had been able to stand up for himself, he wanted the fierce Selina to know everything she taught him made him grow into someone worthy of her. He wanted to be able to stand on his parents’ grave and tell them that he wouldn't be scared by criminals anymore. He wanted them to know their son was strong.

 

This helped him to hold on for some times, but soon his lungs, sinuses and throat were screaming in pain and he had to make a big effort of self-control not to move. He prayed that he would be taken out of water soon, because if this went on; he wouldn't be able to resist and he would start to struggle again...He was pulled out and his lungs made the work for him before he could even think about it. He was feeling dizzy; the effect of the drugs hadn't disappeared yet and the world around him was spinning again.

 

“So Bruce, are you still feeling so feisty? Now, I repeat my question: what did you tell him?”

 

The boy panted. _The best liars always tell the truth_. “I told him to get away from you…”

 

“Don’t play stupid with me! You told him about the bomb?”

 

“No.” _I told Selina about the bomb_.

 

“You were speaking about something. Tell me immediately.”

 

“What if I don’t?”

 

He was pushed in the water one more time. He tried to stay still once more. He had to think of something, he had to! Jerome wasn’t stupid, he knew Bruce and Jeremiah had spoken together. Thinking didn’t distract him long enough from the ache in his lungs. He fought not to trash against Jerome’s hold and yet it was really hard not to…

 

He was pulled out again and took a deep breath. He coughed and Jerome repeated his question. “You know, Bruce, I’m starting to think maybe I’m making a mistake. Maybe I should just take someone and torture them in front of you. It would be much more efficient since you care about everyone, am I right?”

 

Bruce tensed even more and shook his head: “Don’t do that, I’ll tell you.”

 

“Good.”

 

“We didn’t have time to say much,” he coughed again. Jerome believed him, he had seen Bruce going up and followed him, the boy’s hurry had seemed suspicious. He and Jeremiah didn’t even have a minute to speak. But even half a minute could be enough. “I told him about the plans you had.”

 

“What?”

 

“I saw you had maps of a facility, I told him I thought it was a hospital or something like that. I don’t know which one it was, but I told him you would probably target one.”

 

The hand holding Bruce’s hair tightened. “What else?”

 

“Nothing, you came too quickly.”

 

Jeremiah sighed and pushed him again in the water. Bruce trashed this time. Some of his energy was back and he was tired to take that passively. Yet Jerome’s hold was strong. It wasn’t easy for the redhead. He was pushing on his arms as much as he could. He loved that struggle, he loved all that water splashing everywhere, that little chaos in the bathroom, but…He was also freaking angry! He wanted Bruce to suffer, for the very first time, he really wanted to see the boy in tears and so in pain he would hardly be able to stand; For the very first time, he thought of killing him. But Bruce’s body jerked up and for a second, he saw his eyes through the water. In a jolt, he released his hold. The boy had to cling to the border of the tub in order to stay up. He took deep breath of air, he looked like he was about to vanish. Jerome watched as he coughed water, as he struggled to breath normally again and tried to get out of the tub.

 

He suddenly took the boy’s chin and lifted it to have Bruce look at him. The boy jerked away from his touch but it didn’t matter. Bruce was looking at him and he was furious. And that was exactly the reason why he had spared him. He had seen that anger, that fight in his eyes. Where other people would have been deadly scared, Bruce was still driven by fury. For a very slight moment, the boy’s anger had smoothened his own.  Even if he still wanted to see him suffer, he just couldn’t kill him, he was still so fascinating, so thrilling to have around! But he still wanted him to suffer, he remembered him talking to Jeremiah and his blood boiled again.

 

Oh yes, Bruce was going to suffer.

 

**O o O**

 

In the GCPD, the general mood was brightening a bit. The military and the cops had went to the address Laura had given and caught more than expected. Jerome might have left the building, a dozen of lunatics had stayed in there and had fun torturing people. When the authorities had broken in, five people were rescued, three cultists had been killed and ten others had been captured. That and the psychos captured during the tower events, Jerome’s followers were getting less and less numerous. Alfred wasn’t as enthusiastic, though.

 

He had been there with the military; General Hilliger had allowed him to participate due to his military record. When they had saved those people, and yes, he was happy they were saved, but he had hoped to find his boy. Yet Bruce was still nowhere to be seen. The events of the tower kept replaying in his head, he had hardly seen him, but it had been enough to notice the blood and the bruises. He couldn’t help but think of Thomas and Martha, they had given him the guard of their son, and he failed to protect him.

 

That flat was the one in which Derek’s body had been found as well, and in spite of his gruesome state, Alfred had been unable to feel any kind of pity for him. In fact, he had felt a vengeful satisfaction to see him in such a state. His skull was a bloody mess, and Lee had been able to confirm his lips had been torn indeed, and by teeth. Bruce…Oh, at least his boy was tough enough to defend himself. She had tried to comfort him, pointing out that Jerome would apparently not allow any follower to molest him and that such an example would probably stay in their minds. He hoped she was right. He escorted her to hospital so she could visit Sarah Essen.

 

The cultists still alive were all being interrogated but Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock were focusing on one person in particular: Cameron Tate, the man handling the standard. He wasn’t here since a long time, but no one ever complained about him, if anything, he was appreciated. They didn’t arrest him, they had nothing and if anything, both of them agreed they should use that information at their advantage.

 

They were talking about it when Hilliger went to them. “You two, we got a call, someone who identified as Jeremiah Valeska spotted Jerome.”

 

“So…”

 

“There is a high probability that Jerome escaped, the witness had been spotted by the cultists. We’re still going, but meanwhile I want you two to continue to keep an eye on that potential mole.”

 

Although they would have preferred to go, they had no choice but obey. Anyway, if this was true, Jerome would flee indeed. Just after the squad left, Alfred came back. He got out of his car, was about to go inside and to Gordon; he wanted to tell him that Lee made it safely to hospital, but stopped in his tracks as he saw two familiar figures about to enter GCPD: Selina and Jeremiah! A wave of relief washed through him as he rushed toward them. They looked okay, at least.

 

“Alfred! We…”

 

“Where have you been, you two?! I searched for you, what the hell is wrong with you that you have to disappear in such a moment.”

 

“Did you seriously expect us to stay here and do nothing?” Selina huffed.

 

“Doesn’t matter anyway, we have to talk Gordon, we saw Bruce…”

 

“Where?!”

 

“Don’t get hopeful, Jerome saw me,” Jeremiah admitted. “They probably left already. But Bruce told me something about the bomb,” he whispered.

 

“We’ll talk about that elsewhere,” Alfred whispered, “go and tell them where you saw him.”

 

“I already called five minutes ago.”

 

“Then let’s go.”

 

They followed him and he led them into a coffee shop. It was pretty deserted, thankfully, Jeremiah had to be careful due to his appearance, the nerdy look was sometimes enough to make him go unnoticed, but not every time.

 

“Why do we have to go here?”

 

“A mole in the GCPD.” Both teens were relieved they didn’t say anything in there. They knew the information about the bomb had to stay between close walls in order not to leak to the press, but they never thought about a mole. Alfred went on: “We’re still trying to get them, so for now, whenever you speak of that, I’d rather have you do it away from the cops. So what is it?”

 

“I’m pretty know where it is, and I think it’s in Wayne Enterprises.”

 

He told him his encounter with Bruce and what the boy told him. Alfred prayed he was still alright.

 

“If it’s in a meaningful place for Bruce, it could be in Wayne Manor,” Selina objected.

 

“No, in the journal, Jerome wrote that he wanted to see it,” he explained. “I don’t think he would blow it up, not right now at least. However, he hates Wayne Enterprises, he consider it as Bruce’s chain to a snobby society. And unlike the manor, it’s in the center of Gotham, much more people would die. But if we don’t find anything, the Manor would be the second option.”

 

“Then we have to go check out.”

 

“Wait, what do we do if we find it? Just call the cops? If there is a mole, they’ll tell Jerome immediately,” she pointed out.

 

“We’ll find a way,” Alfred declared while getting up.

 

They left before the waitress could even come and take their order, leaving the girl confused. Entering Wayne enterprises had been easy thanks to Alfred. He wasn’t the boss, but as his legal guardian, he had his way in. Yet that wouldn’t be enough to find the bomb. So Alfred went to the only person he trusted in here: Lucius Fox.

 

“Alfred?! I tried to call Wayne Manor many times, I was worried.”

 

“I didn’t get home since Bruce got caught.”

 

“Yeah, I thought it was something like that. I did my best to keep an eye on everything here. Do you have any news about him?”

 

“We do.”

 

Once he heard about a potential bomb, Lucius felt cold; He immediately checked up on Wayne Tower’s plans to look out for the biggest probability on the bomb’s location. Jeremiah gave him a hand in that and Lucius couldn’t help but think that was an interesting folk.

 

“The security level is very high here, stepping in with a weapon would be near impossible, even less a bomb. The sewers, though, that would be possible. There are some spot which are easier to access…”

 

Searching for the bomb in the sewers beneath the tower wasn’t a rejoicing perspective, yet the four of them went down together as quickly as possible. Lucius was called by one of his superiors though, he had to come for an urgent problem.

 

“We just need you to get us to the sewers,” Alfred declared, “You have to make sure everything seems normal and that no one asks questions.”

 

He didn’t want anyone to know there was a potential bomb, Miss Kyle was right: if the police was alerted, the call would pass through GCPD standard and the very person who could be a mole. No one could know about their suspicions. Lucius got them in the sewers with no problem, making them avoid any questions from the security guards before going up.

 

Finding the bomb wouldn’t be easy, they knew it. They searched for almost an hour, and were about to consider they did a mistake when Alfred spotted something. It was tightly taped around a gas pipe. He approached and saw there was no mistake possible. Gas…Oh, hell! He called the teenager and showed them.

 

“Shit…you were right!” The girl exclaimed. “What do we do, now?”

 

“We can’t have the police entering here without taking a big risk,” Jeremiah murmured while approaching the thing. “There is one solution: defusing it.”

 

“What?!”

 

“Defusing it?”

 

He looked at them with determination: “I can do that. I know how that kind of things work, I could make one and better than this one if I wanted.

 

Upon hearing those words, Selina backed away. “I’m not staying here! I’m sorry but I’m not exploding with you!”

 

“I can do it, I’m…”

 

“You should leave indeed,” Alfred declared. She looked a bit surprised. “You can’t help him right now, and if something happens, at least one of us will be spared. And, go tell Gordon or Bullock, but only one of those two, about it.”

 

She started to back away at those words. “Find me before GCPD if you managed to make it.”

 

Watching her leave, Jeremiah turned to Alfred. “Maybe you should leave too.”

 

“I’m not leaving you to handle this alone, kid. And you could need assistance, who knows? You really know how to handle this?”

 

“Yeah it’s not such a complicated dispositive…”

Yet he couldn’t take that lightly. It wasn’t like in movies with threads of several colors and all, it wouldn’t be easy. But he could do it. He took a deep breath, he was an engineer, and a good one. He could do it, right? He studied the dispositive first, there was no urge, it wasn’t linked to a time, it had no reason to blow for now. Unless Jerome learned about…No! He had to keep level-headed and focused. They heard footsteps and for a slight second, Jeremiah thought it was Jerome, with that carnivorous smile of him. But no. Instead, they saw Lucius. He had managed to get away without sparking suspicions and crossed Selina’s path. She had told him where the two went and after making sure she could exit with no problem, he had rushed to find them.

 

“Hell…What are you doing?”

 

“I’m going to defuse it, we can’t risk to alert anyone and I’m perfectly capable of it.”

 

“You’re not doing that without me.”

 

Although he didn’t know Lucius, Jeremiah had seen he was an engineer too, and he was glad to have someone else working on that. He was even gladder when he saw that Lucius had brought a few tools along, he only had his pocket knife with him. Alfred watched without a word, he couldn’t help them, and yet he refused to run away. There was no way he could let them handle this alone. Slowly and very carefully, they started to remove one first part to access the threads and the core of the dispositive. Holding his breath, Jeremiah started already to understand how this worked. He and Lucius exchanged comments, murmuring as if talking loudly would make it blow.

 

They had to cut threads now, to dispose of it. Then, they would be able to take off other parts and definitely make it harmless. It would take time, though. They spotted one first thread Lucius put his pliers on it. Holding their breath, they watched him cut it. Nothing happened and they were all relieved. Jeremiah whipped the cold sweat away from his forehead. Shivers were running through his entire body and his stomach ached. He took a deep breath, he had to level-headed; he understood which one he had to cut then. He did it with more assurance than he thought.

 

“We can remove this, now…”

 

They carefully took off a small part of the dispositive before cutting the next threads. Slowly, they realized they were about to do it. When they finally found the last thread to cut, it seemed like they could breath properly again. Oh God! Jeremiah whipped the sweat away once again. They still had to properly dispose of the bomb, but the danger was past now. Lucius was also feeling like a big weight had been lifted off his lungs. He turned to Alfred and just nodded.

 

“It’s okay, we did it, now.”

 

Alfred put a hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder. “Good job, here.”

 

Now, that was the greatest news since what seemed like a very long time. Not only they saved thousands of people from that danger, but Bruce would finally be able to escape from Jerome.

 

**O o O**

 

They were in a small building at the harbor, it was mostly inhabited by sailors and their families. That was Bruce understood from what he heard and saw. While Bruce had been unconscious and tortured, the inhabitants had been all gathered in the underground parking lot under the threat of weapons and the excited cultists were around them like vultures, taunting,  scaring and beating them. They weren’t killing any for now, they were waiting for their leader to start it. They cheered for him when Jerome entered while pulling Bruce forcefully with him.

 

When he saw the hostages, Bruce tried to fight against Jerome’s hold, but his body was still recovering. Jerome harshly pushed him against a pillar. The boy’s back and skull connected violently against it. He grabbed Bruce’s collar, pinned the boy, turned toward Dwight, and barked: “You, give me some rope!” Dwight obeyed immediately and Jerome passed the rope against Bruce’s torso.

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

He tried to get off the pillar but Jerome pushed him back against it brutally.

 

“You shouldn’t make me madder than that, Bruce!”

 

He continued to tie him, first his torso then he tightly bounded his wrists together behind the pole. The brunet winced in pain at this. Once he was sure his job was done, he looked at the boy and slapped him hard with the gun again but on the cheek this time. Bruce yelped in pain, his head snapped to the side and he tasted some blood. Some of the hostages yelped or whined in fear at the sight of a psycho manhandling a young boy. Some cultists sneered, enjoying the sight of that little brat getting beaten. Then, Jerome took duct tape and ripped a bit to apply it on Bruce’s mouth. Although he wanted to resist, he knew he couldn’t. Once his mouth was forcibly shut, he felt desperate: he had nothing to protect himself. He couldn’t move his body, and he couldn’t speak to try to manipulate his captor. Jerome looked at him with ferocious satisfaction.

 

“So, what are you gonna do, now?! Uh?! Absolutely nothing! You’ll just watch, Brucie!”

 

He turned to the assembly; the cultists were tormenting their hostages. “Okay, let’s have some fun with those new guests!”

 

“Boss! Some of them wants to join us!”

 

Five people had been put apart and were anxiously waiting. Jerome grinned: “Well, let’s see that. Take a weapon and kill at least one of your neighbors.”

 

They were given blades. One of them, the bravest, tried to attack Jerome by surprise. Obviously, the redhead saw it coming. He easily dodged the attack and shot the man in the head. He fell down under the cheers of the cultists who praised their leader. Bruce let out muffled sounds no one heard. Two of them tried to kill some hostages but were unable to do it. They got beaten and were thrown among the hostages again. The two last ones, a man and a woman, took their turn and things went differently. They looked impatient, and Jerome spotted it immediately. They threw themselves at the inhabitants they liked the less, and massacred them with enthusiasm. Bruce almost suffocated as he saw those people who initially looked so normal transforming into monsters. They were applauded and Jerome spoke:

 

“Okay, you get your chance to stay! Continue to impress us like that, and you’ll be part of us! But now that the try outs are over, let’s have some fun! Let’s get creative, but remember…” He pointed to the tied boy. “Bruce here is mine only! No one touches him! Now, how about a ‘Chainsaw Massacre reboot’? Let’s have some music for that!”

 

Loud music echoed through the storehouse and it soon became a bloodbath. People were trying to escape but they were soon restrained or cornered by the psychos. Screams and pleas echoed everywhere; people were getting tortured or raped before getting killed. Some of them tried to fight back, but it hardly got them anywhere. Jerome was ‘having fun’ as well; he took a chainsaw and severed some people limbs by limbs. Then, covered with blood and laughing maniacally, he grabbed one of the female psycho by the waist and kissed her. The girl eagerly responded and they went together. Bruce closed his eyes during most of the bloody orgy, trying to block the sounds he could hear. It wasn’t the first time, but something was even worse here, maybe the fact he was really unable to do anything at all. Eventually, he felt someone grab his chin roughly and he opened his eyes.

 

He saw Jerome standing before him with a sick, psychotic smile, his face and body splashed with blood. He didn’t even look like an animal, because an animal wouldn’t have such a cruel look in their eyes.

 

“Why are you closing your eyes? Watch! Watch those people die, isn’t it wonderful?! There are young, old, men, women…But in the end, they all finish into pulp. The very same substance, because in the end, people are pretty much all the same, aren’t they? The only thing that makes someone special is ambition, Brucie…So watch, watch them disappearing into nothing…”

 

The boy just shook his head and closed his eyes again. He just fought against the tears; that was all he was focusing on, otherwise he would be doomed. He had to stay strong, he had to. He remembered Gordon’s words: they were doing everything to get him out of here. From another cop, it wouldn’t have sounded that convincing, but he knew Gordon meant that. But why wasn’t he here, then?! Jerome tugged on his hair once more.

 

“WATCH, I SAID! Do you want a bullet in the shoulder? I could shot you if you don’t open your eyes!”

 

Hatred filled Bruce at that moment: why?! Wasn’t this enough?! Did he have to worsen things up?! Taking a deep breath, Bruce opened his eyes and looked at him right in the eyes. Jerome just stared at him and his smile was different then: “Still so feisty…”

 

Suddenly, Jerome’s hands were on his neck, gripping it tightly. Bruce let out a muffled yelp and tensed. Jerome’s face got way closer to his and he giggled maniacally as he started to apply more pressure to strangle his prisoner. Bruce’s throat ached badly at this, and his lungs screamed for air. The look in his eyes…he was going to kill him this time! Bruce tried to struggle against his bonds but there was no use doing that. Jerome continued to giggle while strangling Bruce and the boy eventually fell into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really mean with Bruce. Review, please!


	17. Roller Coaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! The next chapter is here, and I hope you'll enjoy it!

**Past:**

When Bruce came at the circus, he was disappointed when Jeremiah told him Jerome couldn’t come now. It was some days after the incident with Zack, and Bruce was alarmed at first: what if they beat him so hard he wouldn’t be able to come? But e was relieved to learn his mother punished him by having him helping with the horses again. Otherwise, he was alright.

“Why did she punish him? It’s Zack who was wrong.”

“Oh, it’s not only that, he did some stupid stuff: he hid the cobra in mum’s bed as she was coming back with her new…Boyfriend. She was only surprised, but the guy got freaking scared.”

Bruce huffed, between amusement and stupefaction. Yes, the cobra wasn’t dangerous, he knew that, still it was kinda mean. But now, his mother wasn’t exactly the kind of woman who would inspire better feelings. Still, it wasn’t the highest means to get back at her, and it was perfectly useless too, she would just be madder and he would get nothing much out of it. He sat at Jeremiah’s side who was working until he came over. He was receiving correspondence courses just like Jerome due to the circus moving often. The difference was that Jeremiah received courses from a high-rated school, something he had obtained thanks to a loan, and even though he was only fifteen, he was working on his Highschool Graduation.

“You told me you wanted to become an engineer?”

“Yes. Conceiving things and all, I know it’s not the funniest thing ever, but I like it.”

“It doesn’t necessarily needs to be fun, as long as it interest you. Where will you study?”

“I haven’t made my choice, yet. I applied for a student loan, I won’t be able to go further without that.”

Bruce opened his mouth but Jeremiah smiled and shook his head: “I know what you’re going to propose, and it’s no. You’re not here for that, and I’d rather obtain that by my own means.”

This stunned Bruce: “Am I that obvious?”

“Not every time, but you’re very generous. Be careful, that will play against you eventually.” The boy release a laugh and Jeremiah is happy; he is whenever he manages to be the one who makes him laugh and not Jerome. From someone else, he wouldn’t have minded that help, in fact, he might have milked everything he could from that person. But he didn’t want to use Bruce, and he didn’t want him or anyone to think he was using the boy. His mother often point out that a friend such as Bruce Wayne will really help in the future and Jerome taunt him about the fact he is so obviously trying to get benefits out of him. None of them are right. It’s something different he wants from him. And Bruce was giving it right now.

“Do you have a project in mind?”

“Well, I thought of something about energy. Maybe, bringing out a way to have clean energy, you know? That’s the kind of domain which has a lot of potential, there is a lot to discover.”

Jeremiah explained him more. It was agreeable to have someone interested and who could actually understand it. The subject went to science-fiction. Although Bruce was a bit fonder of dark and supernatural, he liked science-fiction as well, and this had become one of their favorite subjects to talk about. Suddenly, Jeremiah stopped talking and got up.

“Let’s go walk a bit, I’m tired of sitting around.”

“Okay…”

They started to leave and Bruce saw Zack walking toward their caravan. Of course…

“Does he beat you too?” Asked he as soon as they were far enough.

“…Hum…Not much. It happened at times, but I do what it takes to avoid it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I do as they say, I make sure not to piss the off and I work well. I do like what I study, I’m a nerd anyway, but it’s a good excuse to escape them. I told Jerome he should do that already, but he won’t.”

“Maybe he simply wants to stand up to that. I understand your point, but I can also understand why Jerome doesn’t want to submit to that. They shouldn’t treat you like that, neither of you.”

Truth to be told, Jeremiah had ceased to care whenever Jerome was beaten down. He even enjoyed that at times, to see the brother who liked to terrorize him being hurt. But he wouldn’t tell that to Bruce. He still liked Jerome, and Jeremiah knew that in time, his brother would show his true face. He’d rather not make Bruce angry at him again by saying harsh things about his twin.

“You never thought of…Going to the police, or social services?” Asked the boy

“No, and please, don’t call them.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know where I would end, some kids get lucky, but others ends up in places which are only worse. At least here, I know what I can expect, I know those people and how I can avoid the worse. And at least neither Zack nor my mother stops me from studying. They are even glad I do so, they imagine I will get rich and help them later. If I was sent to a bad foster care, I might end somewhere where they wouldn’t let me work, and everything I worked for would be ruined!” He sighed. “No, really, don’t call them, anyway I don’t have to wait for that long. Maybe I’ll get emancipated before I reach eighteen. Just, keep hanging out with me, it helps a lot.”

Those last words stunned Bruce a bit. Jeremiah wasn’t the most demonstrative person, and this short sentence meant a lot. And somehow, he felt like he had been a bit unfair toward him. He would spend more time with Jerome than with Jeremiah. But on the other hand, Jerome would teach him a lot, maybe that was why.

“I wondered if you could teach me a few things, you know? About mechanics and stuff like that.”

It was Jeremiah’s turn to be surprised. He knew Jerome would tech Bruce  a lot of stuff, so having him asking such a thing was really satisfying. And no one ever asked such a thing before, even though he would have wished that. He thought a bit.

“There is an old car, left since a long time, I trained myself to hijack it. Do you want me to show you?”

Bruce’s eyes widened: “Wait, but that’s illegal.”

“Don’t worry, the owners ran away long ago, they certainly will never come back anymore. So it’s not really harmful. Unless you’re scared.”

Bruce shook his head and smiled before following Jeremiah to that car.

**Present**

Both Jim and Bullock agreed on something: If Cameron was the mole indeed, then they had to milk that as much as possible. They could do more than arrest him: they could try to use him to get Jerome. They had been devising of a plan, and continued to arrest the cultists. They got some names and a few locations where could eventually go, but not the mole’s name. Some followers were stupid enough to let a few hints drop, though, and now they were confirmed it was more likely Cameron Tate.

They eventually went to see the General, who was occupying Essen’s office. At their surprise, Jeremiah and Alfred were in here, and Hilliger was obviously angry. He was keeping a collected stance but his expression was enough.

“Close the door,” he instructed Jim.

“So you two, civilians with absolutely no authority, you decided to go and dispose of a bomb? By yourselves! Do you only realize what you could have done?!” He was keeping his voice low enough, as he was talking about something which had to remain secret. It was obvious he would have yelled otherwise. He turned to Alfred: “I trusted you to go on the field with us because of you military past, but remember this doesn’t give you any power to act as you want, especially in situations like this!”

“We simply feared the mole to be alerted if the bomb squad had been seen in the tower.”

“Don’t you think I would have thought of that?! We could have found a way to get them in discretely enough!”

Alfred realized it was true, but still, there would have been a risk. Yet it was useless arguing about that. Hilliger was about to speak again, when Jim’s voice rose:

“Wait! There is no bomb anymore?”

“We found it. It was under the Wayne Tower.”

Both Jim and Gordon were overjoyed at this. Finally! One of Jerome’s biggest threat had been taken away! Hilliger gave them an angry look: “Are you two the ones who encouraged such initiatives?”

“We didn’t tell them about it,” Jeremiah assured. 

“And you…” He turned to Jeremiah: “They told me you’re perfectly sane, but I’m starting to think you could be as crazy as your brother if you do something so irrational!”

Usually, Jeremiah wasn’t the kind to get angry easily. But being compared to Jerome…He looked straight at the man: “If I was as crazy as my brother, you would have a hell lot worse to deal with!” His voice was like a whip and it seemed to surprise the captain who wasn’t expecting that from a nerdy boy. “But thankfully for you, I’m sane and I’m an engineer. An engineer who is only sixteen but who has already been hired to work for big companies, and who figured out where the bomb was before any of you! So no, my decision wasn’t irrational; I know what I can do and I calculate every risks I take.”

Seeing the fury in the man’s eyes, Alfred spoke up on a collected tone: “General, you have every reason to be angry, we did go beyond our rights. And I must say that I’m mainly responsible, I’m the adult, not Jeremiah. But for days, our city was left to handle terrorists while the police had already been through big losses. We had to take initiatives by ourselves. We didn’t want to risk the mole to alert Jerome, and make everything blow. That was a risk, I agree, but in the end it paid off. But we should have referred to you indeed, we won’t repeat that mistake.”

Alfred’s words soothed the man a bit. “Even though you did a good job, you must remember you can’t take decisions involving thousands lives, without consulting the authorities!”

Jeremiah was about to protest. He saved many lives and that was all the General was saying?! Alfred put an arm before him to stop him. It wasn’t the moment. Jim spoke up again, hoping to get the two of them out: “We’ll make sure everything goes in order. In fact, Bullock and I have something to tell you, there is something we wanna try.”

“Fine. You two can leave us, now.” It was clearly an order.

Although Jeremiah wanted to speak again, he stopped himself. He learned to shut up with stubborn or stupid adults. There was no use talking to that guy. Jim went after them. “Wait for me at my desk, okay? And, Jeremiah…” The boy looked at him with cold eyes. Jim gave him a nod and whispered: “Good job, even if it wasn’t really done by the book. You surely saved countless lives.”

Those words made Jeremiah retrieve his cold-blood again. At least someone else was acknowledging it.

“Don’t take it too badly,” Alfred told him after Jim left them. “The military has strict rules. He couldn’t ignore how many laws we broke.”

He didn’t answer anything and as soon as Alfred had his back turned, he exited GCPD. He didn’t know where he would go, but he wasn’t going to stay here.

“Happy to see you alive.”

Selina came out of nowhere, but he guessed that wasn’t surprising. He grinned a bit and told her about what happened as they walked away.

“Well, talk about gratefulness! Did you mention me?”

“No, I would have if he had showed some recognition, but we soon figured out it was better not to mention you or Lucius Fox.”

“Good. Now, let’s go find Bruce.” Surely, things would be simpler now without the bomb.

**O o O**

When Bruce woke up, he felt so nauseous that his first thought was to try not to throw up. He didn’t know anything but this: he didn’t want to feel the stench of vomit in his mouth. For a moment, that was all he knew, and he almost regretted it when that moment passed. It had almost allowed him to ignore all kind of pain.

His head hurt. His throat hurt. His belly, his chest, his back, his arms, even his legs hurt. But his head and throat were the worst. His hands were tied again, but before him this time. His wrists hurt, but he didn’t even try to take his bonds off. He wasn’t even able to move, it seemed like the simplest motion would make everything spin around him. He didn’t want that.

It took him a long time to get out of his daze. His throat was really sore. Jerome had strangled him, he remembered that, but thankfully (or not) he was alive. Thirst was worsening things up, he really needed water. He didn’t know where he was. There were mattresses or dirty blankets on the ground…It didn’t look like a normal building. It seemed like a shooting range…He remembered going in one with Selina, when they searched for the guy who stabbed Alfred. Yet no junkies could be seen. They could have been killed, or recruited.

He breathed in…What happened yesterday…He felt like crying again. He had to be strong, right? But he was starting to wonder how he could hold on. How long would it take? Would he ever get free? Was he gonna die here? Was he gonna die in a dark place like his parents?! This made his face wince and a few tears got out. He sobbed thinking of them. He needed them; he wished they were here, that they could bring him back home!

He didn’t know how long he stayed alone; he was thirsty and hungry though he wouldn’t have been able to eat anything. Not after what he had seen…He wasn’t crying anymore. He had to put on a strong face right? Even if he wasn’t feeling so strong anymore…Eventually, he heard footsteps echoing. He turned over to see Jerome walking toward him. Grunting, he shifted his position and sat in a more casual way to face Jerome who still seemed angry, but calmer.

“Got a nice sleep?”

“Why am I tied?”

“Cause it seems like I’ll have to discipline you, Brucie.”

“Why?” He breathed weakly.

“Isn’t it obvious? You saved my pain-in-the-ass of a brother.”

He looked at Jerome with tired eyes and did his best to strengthen his tne: “You never forbad that. You knew I would do it, you knew that if you tried to kill Jeremiah, I would do my best to stop you. That’s why you like to bring me along, because you enjoy an obstacle…”

He stopped there, feeling his head spin. That was maybe the lack of water. Jerome titled his head in an amused way:

“Is something wrong? Did I smack your head too hard?” He asked mockingly.

Bruce didn’t answer, he felt nauseous once more, all he could do was breath hard while his head was spinning. Jerome grabbed his chin and made him look up at him. Bruce finally gathered the strength to speak: “…Thirsty.” He didn’t have many hopes, but at his surprise, Jerome stood up and left to come back with a bottle of water. He handed it to Bruce who managed to grab it in spite of his tied hands. He drank greedily, his throat was so dry it almost hurt to feel water! He coughed a bit and eventually put the bottle down. Jerome extended his hand and cupped his sore temple in an almost gentle way. Bruce shifted to escape his touch but found himself backed into a corner; the redhead cornered him and stroked his hair and temple fondly. 

“It will be hard to give you any punishment if you’re at the verge of fainting…”

“Wasn’t yesterday enough?! You never forbad me to save anyone from you. You forbad me to escape and that’s all.”

He seemed to think about it. His eyes suddenly lightened. “I’m still angry at you, but I guess I’ll have to go a bit softer on you, at least for now. I have a big project in mind, and I need you to be able to stand on your feet for that.” Still stroking Bruce’s hair, he declared: “You know what? You’re actually right: I never forbad you to save him, that’s true. I’ll get Jeremiah again, and I’ll even give you a chance to save him once more.”

Bruce gave him a confused look. The redhead smirked once more and murmured: “You’re starting to realize it’s all vain, it’s only a matter of time before you understand.”

“You’re delusional.”

“I know you, Bruce, you’re just in denial. You know deep down that you don’t want me away.”

 

“I do!”

 

“Oh yeah? Why did you come to that stupid Gala, then?” This question left Bruce speechless. What did it have to do with that? Jerome’s hand gripped the side of his prisoner’s head. “You knew I was out there, going after people, going after you! I mean, I sent you severed fingers! I gave you a message in the TV, don’t tell me you weren’t alarmed by all that! You could have left the city, but no, you stayed! Do you know why? Not because travelling was dangerous, or because airport could be targeted, but because you didn’t want to run away!” It was true…Bruce kinda knew it, even though he had reasons not to leave, he never really wanted to. Jerome went on: “You know that deep down, you wanted to meet me again! You’re just like me, Bruce; you want to be free and you cannot live your life fully without endangering it!”

 

Completely silent, Bruce looked down. Jerome went on: “You’re the one who made me understand I was made to guide people. Until you, I thought I was meant to be a loner. But no, I’m meant to show people something.”

 

“You _are_ alone. Even surrounded by all those people, you are alone.”

 “Not as long as I got you.” Jerome finally walked away from him. “Keep the bottle.”

After a few moments during which he waited warily, Bruce laid back on the mattress once more. He was really feeling tired. His wrists hurt and he worked on his bonds to take those off. That was at least one thing he could do. It seemed to him that he had distant cries of pain. Were the cultists fighting and hurting each other again? Were those even real? He couldn’t hear anything anymore. He didn’t know, but he was pretty sure he would be unable to do anything anyway. He couldn’t help but start to wonder whether or not Jerome could be a bit right. Maybe it was all vain? He didn’t have any notion of time, he fell asleep, still exhausted and utterly distraught from everything that happened.

**O o O**

The streets were going to get darker and darker. Cameron Tate had learned to love that. He was scared when he was young, whenever he had to go through the dark streets of Gotham. Even as an adult, he would still be a bit afraid, because that city was scary. But not anymore. That was all before he learned to be free. He had changed his sheep suit for a wolf suit, and that fitted him perfectly. Right now, he was following a prey, and a big one. If he was good enough to get it, he would really become one of the worthiest members among Jerome’s followers. He wanted that. He wanted them all to see he could do more than simply sit around and spy. And trapping Jim Gordon would be perfect for that.

Jim Gordon…The young cop who restored some integrity into the GCPD. Well, it was still corrupted as fuck, but Cameron had seen the difference, since Jim goody-good shoes had been around, some cops had really started to get on his side and tried to do what they called real police job. Cameron had to admit it, Gordon definitely had some charisma to accomplish that, and he wasn’t completely stupid unlike some. He became a bit of a symbol. Well, Cameron would be the one to take down that symbol.

He couldn’t kill him because Jerome wanted him alive, but getting captured would be the start of Jim’s downfall. He didn’t know what the boss planned, but it would probably be something! He would surely take that occasion to break down Bruce Wayne, he had never seen the boy, but he had heard from other cultists that he was tougher than expected. That would have to be confirmed in the future. He took a deep breath and focused once more.

Gordon was up to something, he was going to meet Oswald Cobblepot. He found it pretty funny to think that the symbol of honesty had ties with someone like Penguin! He wasn’t sure what this meeting was about but apparently Penguin had managed to get more information about Jerome, impossible to know what, though. He had heard Gordon talking by the coffee machine, probably thinking no one was around. Too bad for him, Cameron did hear. Jim was going alone, probably not wanting to get the General into this, and he could understand that: the man was a pain in the ass.

He was careful to keep a safe distance between his and Jim’s car. He couldn’t be seen. His eyes caught sight of the syringe carefully wrapped in plastic. He smirked. This would make Jimbo sleep in no time, it would be fun to have the man in the boot of the vehicule!

Jim’s car stopped in a dark alley and Cameron parked in another street, where there were enough cars so his wouldn’t get noticed. Then, getting out of a black vehicule, three men appeared. One was limping. Perfect! He took a careful peek into the dark alley and saw Gordon and Cobblepot talking. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but Penguin gave the cop something which looked like a file. Oh, this was all playing perfectly! If Penguin had gathered everything he knew in there, he just had to get Gordon and take the file from him! He would be able to tell Jerome what Oswald knew about him, and also give him Jim Gordon. Cameron smirked as he imagined Jim being thrown at Jerome, defenseless and only able to beg for his life...Oh it would be so great to see Jerome reduce him to a pile of dead flesh!

He didn’t have to wait for a long time. They only exchanged a few other words and Penguin went back in his car. It was a shame he was alone, he couldn’t take down Cobblepot, Gordon and the bodyguards all by his own. It would have added a lot to his victory otherwise. When Cobblepot’s car went away, he waited for Jim to walk back, and it would be right in his direction. Hiding behind the corner, he listened carefully for the footsteps. Oh that was so thrilling!

When Jim was here, he threw himself at him with the syringe. He was aiming for his neck. He wasn’t expecting what happened next. With damn reflexes, Gordon stepped aside and dodged the assault. Cameron’s arm went down, expecting to plunge the syringe in Jim’s flesh. Gordon took a step back and drew out his gun but Tate did the same.

“The hell?!”

“Sorry, Jimbo! It seems like I will be rougher than I thought!”

 

“What are you doing?”

“I want what you have in your hands. And you’re also coming with me for a little trip. ”

“Why? What is wrong with you? What do you want?”

Cameron emitted a laugh. “You never guessed, didn’t you? I’m with Jerome, now. And you’re my present to him.”

He didn’t know what kind of reaction Jim would have, would he be angry or scared? He was surely not expecting him to grin slightly. Then, he heard footsteps and before he could realize it, armed soldiers were pointing their guns at him.

“Thanks for that confession, Cameron. And, for the record, we did guess.”

“To think you did all that for a file filled with blank papers…It sucks a bit, don’t you think?” Bullock sneered at him.

“Put him under arrest.” Hilligher’s voice came from behind. “That’s good work you did.”

It all became clear to him. Gordon had known all along…He knew he had been listening to his phone conversation, he had counted on it…He knew he had been following him…Bullock roughly grabbed handcuffed, grabbed him and threw him in the car. Two soldiers went in, securing the newly arrested cop.

As Cameron was taken away, another car approached, Oswald’s one. Jim went to him. “Honestly, I was pretty sure it would fail one way or another,” Penguin admitted while getting out.

“Why did you get along, then?”

“It was still worth a try. You told me the bomb is off?”

“It is.”

“So we can get the Wayne kid back, now?”

Jim’s head titles a bit: “Sounds like you’re really worried about him?”

“He saved my mom. I owe him. And I guess it’s a kid, I don’t wish him that.”

“How is your mother?”

Penguin’s eyes lowered a bit, maybe he didn’t want to let Jim see the hurt in those: “She is still weak. She is also worried about Bruce Wayne, she often talks about him.”

“We’ll do everything to bring him back. In the meantime, just watch out for the hospitals. We know now that Jerome could target one.”

“I have my web across those, don’t worry. If something happens, we’ll know.”

Although he would have never imagined asking a mafia boss to watch over the security of Gotham’s hospitals, here he was. And he had to admit, Penguin still had enough people to do that. The army was also focusing on the surveillance of the hospitals, but two protections were better than one. They eventually parted and they went back to the station. The bomb was defused, the mole was done. They were finally seeing the end of the tunnel. Yet he wouldn’t yell victory immediately. Jerome was still at large.

**O o O**

The night had fallen and it was starting to rain. Shivering, Bruce was still alone in that grim, dark and cold place, and his thoughts perfectly fitted the atmosphere. He couldn’t help but remember the screams and the things he saw. And he had his eyes closed during most of it! The few things he saw were probably nothing compared to the whole massacre…

He heard footsteps and was surprised to see Casey coming in. What did he want?

“Hey, we’re going to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t have you starve to death,” he simply stated while grabbing Bruce’s arm to make him stand. He wasn’t hostile, Bruce noticed, and that’s maybe why he complied. Casey was maybe one of the few he could vaguely call an ally, he’d rather not anger him. He didn’t feel like fighting at all, and it would be pointless.

“Wait a sec, didn’t Jerome tie your hands?”

“I undid those.”

“Ah yeah, I almost forgot you’re Mr. Escape Artist! Jerome didn’t say you could be untied.”

“You would have had to untie me anyway. I can’t eat with bound hands. If he doesn’t want me to starve, I need my hands to eat.”

“…Yeah, I guess, but no tricks.”

He brought him in a real flat. Most of the cultists had gathered in here and they were looking at the news while eating. Jerome wasn’t here, and he didn’t know whether it was a good thing or not. Some gave him a deadly look when they arrived, but most of them didn’t bother with him, Iris even waved at him before looking back at the screen. He was given a sandwich. Bruce thanked him and he ate it although he felt nauseous. He had to eat, right? He couldn’t starve…

“Oh, they’re showing it!”

Images of the towers were shown, as well as other massacres and atrocities made by the cultists and various criminals taking advantage of the general chaos. It was unbearable, and Bruce had to turn his eyes away while the cultists were rejoicing about it. At a point, the speaker pronounced his name, saying that Bruce Wayne, the long-term hostage, had been also seen.

“Seems like they love to talk about you, Richie Rich,” one man spat.

“They probably wonder how he is still alive!”

He didn’t answer anything and continued to force himself to eat.

“It’s a shame you didn’t join us, it was so much fun!” Casey told Bruce enthusiastically.

“You know, I never thought I would be able to kill somebody with an axe,” one woman said, “and yet I did yesterday! That was so great!”

“You were kinda hot while doing it,” a girl told her.

Bruce let them speak together, not taking part in their conversation. Once again, he wished he could block everything and just get away. Gosh, where the hell was this bomb? They had to find it, he had to go home! It was raining outside. He sighed. He felt lost, he was in some sort of gloomy fog, and he felt as if his energy, his fire, had been all drained from him. He was in pain physically and mentally, and no one could tell him when this would end…

A scream of pain suddenly took him out of those thoughts. He jumped in surprise but no one noticed. What the hell? Another scream came and although he had no idea who it was or what he could do, he knew he had to try something. Before he could stand, though, Casey grabbed his shoulder, and pushed on it to show him he had to stay here. Bruce didn’t say a word and just waited. The boy would soon look elsewhere.

Some minutes later, Bruce managed to discretely stand while Casey and some others were joking, still watching TV. He carefully checked the corridor and saw two cultists running after one another in the stairs. He didn’t make a move, they didn’t notice him at all. He waited a bit before they were out of sight. Walking out carefully, he sneaked and tried to listen for any other sound. It came from the floor right above. His ears caught whimpers and sobs. He followed those and opened a door, once again, very carefully. He watched and checked out whether or not somebody was in here. He heard sobs; he entered silently and closed the door behind him.

The sobs intensified a bit, startling him a little. He went to the only bedroom, from where he could hear the cries. What he saw made his heart jump a bit. In the dirty and tiny room, there was only a bed which was smeared with blood, and on which a teenager was crying. The guy was probably a few years older than him, and he was whimpering, his body enveloped in a wool blanket, and his ankle was handcuffed to one of the bed posts. He hadn’t even noticed Bruce yet.  

“Hey…”

The teen jumped as if he had heard a gunshot instead of a softly-spoken word. He looked at Bruce with terrified eyes, his face had a big bruise, and his neck had been slightly cut. Superficial cuts, something made to hurt.

“Don’t! Don’t come…”

Bruce extended his hands and went to him. “Don’t make any noises! They’ll hear us!” This was enough to make the teen shut up but he also recoiled away from Bruce. He was pretty sure he had never seen that teen among the cultists before. The weakest ones would be mistreated by the strongest, he knew that, it could have been one of them, but it didn’t seem like it.

“I’m also their prisoner.” It reminded him of his dialogue with Gertrud. “Who are you?”

“Ch…Chad…” He took a deep breath and seemed to recognize Bruce: “The boy they tied…It’s you…You’re that guy they took.”

“Bruce Wayne…Hum…I’ll free you.”

Bruce started to look around, there was a desk, and he found some paper clips in it. He started to pick the handcuff’s lock while speaking to the guy.

“I’ll help you escape. You live here? What did they do to you? Are you hurt?” The teen nodded and cried again. “They killed everyone…But those two, they…”

The way he tightened the cover around him…From the few things Bruce could see, it seemed like he didn’t have much clothes. Or maybe none at all. He suddenly remembered Derek. Oh gosh…Seemed like Derek hadn’t been the only one doing that kind of things. It made Bruce feel sick as the taste of blood seemed to invade his mouth again.

“They killed my mother…” The teen started to sob harder and Bruce’s chest stirred at this. Oh, he could understand too well…He forced himself to focus on what he was doing. The handcuff came off and he sighed in relief. The teen gaped and looked at him in disbelief, it was as if he didn’t believe Bruce would have been able to do that. Then, he looked down in shame and mumbled: “I have to dress back.”

 “Oh.”

Bruce looked away and heard the ruffling of clothes. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. He remembered how he felt because of Derek, how he was still feeling at times. And he actually managed to escape it, to fight back. So he didn’t imagine what that guy felt like. Once Chad was dressed back, Bruce checked out the corridor again. Most of the doors had been broken down, the building had been somehow transformed into a big house. A Horror House. Images of the previous night came to his mind and he felt nauseous. How could he hope to get him out of here? No, it wasn’t the time, he had to focus.

The psychos were circulating freely and getting Chad to get down by the stairs would be too risky. They would have to pass before the flat where they were all gathered, watching the News. No, the fire-escape would be a better option. Until now, it had been of a good help to him. They made it to those, it was raining but neither of the boy cared. The streets were calm, for now, most of the cultists were resting, eating, watching TV and planning. This was the best time to escape for Chad.

“Let’s get down.”

Although he was terrified, the young man followed Bruce. They got down in spite of the cold wind, Bruce passed first, always making sure they weren’t seen each time they reached another floor. The building wasn’t big, so reaching the ground didn’t take long, thank God. Bruce carefully checked up the street.

“Do you know where you have to go?”

“Of course, I know those streets well.”

“Okay, be very careful, try to see Jim Gordon, he is one you can trust.”

“Wait…You’re not coming with me?”

“No, I can’t,” he whispered in a heart-breaking tone.

Chad gaped at this. “You can’t stay with them! Don’t tell me you’re going back!”

“I have to. I…I’m not sure it’s safe to tell you why, but I really can’t escape, otherwise I would.”

“No, Bruce, you have to come with me.”

Oh, there was nothing he wanted more! He wanted to see Alfred again. But he wouldn’t be able to bear it if anyone died because of him. “Please, just leave, you don’t have time. Just…Tell Gordon that I’m sorry for running away from Alfred. He’ll understand. Go now.”

Chad was about to protest again, when laughter and cackles echoed. Fear made the teenager leave, he gave Bruce one last look before running away. For a second, Bruce forgot everything. He just got some hope back. He used the fire-escape to get back to the shooting range. It was starting to rain harder. Once again, he realized how gaunt it was. He remembered wandering in that kind of place with Selina, but it was different with her. Selina…

 _You have to get a thicker skin; to survive, you need to be ruthless._ He remembered she told him something like that once. He wanted to see her badly, but thinking of her made him grin a bit.

 _You have to go on, otherwise, they’ll win. You’re stronger than them all._ It was Alfred’s voice, this time, but it wasn’t a memory. More like his imagination creating what Alfred would have said to him. Oh he really wanted to see him badly too. Finding it comforting to imagine them talking to him, he allowed his mind to work. What would they tell him right now?

Alfred: _You didn’t save everyone, but you saved that boy. Don’t feel responsible for what happened._

Jeremiah: _You’re smart, you can end this. You managed to save my life! You saved his life.  You gave me important information; we’ll do something with it._ ”

Gordon: “ _We’re working to end this and free you; you’re not alone. You saved many people already_.”

He wasn’t alone…He wasn’t alone.

Yes…Maybe he had no friend in here, but he knew they were doing their best to help him out there. Hell, Selina and Jeremiah took big risks to get to him. So, he wasn’t entirely alone. He also saw that Alfred and Gordon wouldn’t give up, so he couldn’t give up either, could he?

 _“You’ll make it, son. We’re proud of you, you just have to hold on,”_ His father’s voice.

 _“None of what happened is your fault, you did everything you could, you mustn’t blame yourself. We’re very proud of you,”_ his mother’s soft and comforting tone.

He still felt exhausted and horrified at what happened, but he was starting to feel a bit stronger.

 _What you saw, use it! Let that horror feed your motivation, think of that whenever you must remember to be stronger. Remember that to make them pay harder!_ This voice sounded like no one he knew, it was like a deeper pitch of his own voice which was strangely motivating. And that was right. _Those horrors you saw, don’t let them be a burden. Turn them into your own fire!_   Bruce took a deep breath. Yes, what he saw, he had to make this is his motivation, the reason why he had to stop those psychos, it would be a reminder not to give up!

Feeling a strange new kind of energy fuelling him, he went up to the roof; he felt the rain drops hitting him while the wind was blowing, almost carrying him away. It didn’t feel bad at all! It felt good, incredibly good! He looked up at the storm above him, took off his vest and let it fall on the ground, wanting to feel more of that. It was as if each drop were a bit of life and energy. It was cleaning him from his fears, from his doubts. A lightning pierced the sky followed by the roar of thunder. Bruce smiled, he wasn’t scared at all, it was as if the elements were filling him with fire!

He felt extremely alive again. Extending his arms, he smiled at the dark sky. They failed! They were the ones who truly failed! Yes, he had been unable to save some people, but a lot of others would have died if he hadn’t been here. He could do it…He was stronger than them! It wasn’t something he told himself to bear the situation. It was a certitude.

His breathing was deep, the elements enveloping his body felt empowering. He wasn’t fighting against those, he was becoming one with the storm, with the night! He felt light once more, as if he would get carried away. There was something in him which was exploding, and he embraced that fully.  For a second, he saw clearly what he was and who he was going to be, so clearly it was blinding and overwhelming.

It wasn’t a bright destiny. But it was a destiny, and he knew he could fight. He let out a huff of relief and opened his eyes again. As if he had felt someone’s presence, he looked aside. Jerome was standing a few steps away under the rain, looking fascinated and confused at the same time. Bruce walked toward him with confidence.

“You’ve come into an epiphany, haven’t you? Did you understand?” Asked Jerome.

“I do understand. I understand that I’ll never be like you.”

Jerome’s face turned serious. He could see the fight back in Bruce’s eyes.

“You can’t break me, I won’t be like you! You made me see horrors, you made me see my own darkness, and you helped me realize one thing: I can control it. You were right, I’ll never be like the others, I’ll never erase the darkness in me. But I can turn it into something good.”

A sneer appeared. The redhead couldn’t laugh this time. “You still hold on those illusions!”

“Oh yes! You know what? You showed me I’m strong enough to fight!” He leaned closer, not afraid of their proximity. “And I don’t need you! I’ll do everything to get people like you out of the city and out of my life!”

Jerome stared at him intensely and finally broke into a cold laugh: “So you’re unbreakable, uh?! You think you don’t need me?! Well, you still won’t get rid of me!” He gripped his shoulders roughly. “Because I need you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jerome is still creepy as hell. Love that!


	18. Understudy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Tough chapter, this one, really one of the toughests for me! Don't hesitate to point out mstakes and incoherencies.

The rain was starting to lessen a bit, but there was still thunder. Bruce was alone again. His last conversation with Jerome still in his mind. The redhead and pushed him back into the building. His defiance hadn’t offended him it seemed, but now, Jerome always liked that side of him. _I need you…_ He knew already that Jerome needed him, he might have not said it directly like that before, but he would have been foolish not to understand that. He knew Jerome didn’t just enjoy torturing him, he really needed him around, he really had affection for him. But hearing him say that out loud felt weird and twisted. Any display of affection from him had become weird and twisted.

 

He sighed, he had to stop thinking about this. His newfound strength made him hope again and he knew he would leave and go home again. There was no way he would yield! He wondered if Chad was okay, though. He was alone in dangerous streets and under the rain. Let’s hope he wouldn’t be seen!

He moved from the shooting range where he had been staying. He was damp and shivering and that part of the building was cold. He didn’t need to get sick. He could go down, maybe he would find a warmer place where he would be able to stay. Hell, maybe he would find a door he could lock, they couldn’t have broken all of those! He was searching for a place, some other cultists were around, but he didn’t fear them. He had shouts of anger but didn’t pay attention and continued to search.

 

“You!”

 

This was for him! He turned to the voice and saw a young man and a young woman coming toward him. She was pointing her finger at Bruce who was a bit puzzled. It drew the attention of the others around who gathered to see what was happening. There were a lot of fights among them, but things always promised to be a bit more suspenseful when Jerome’s captive was involved. Bruce saw Jeri, Iris and Casey among the spectators.

 

“You’re the one who got him away, aren’t you?!”

 

“Got who away?” Asked Jeri with curiosity.

 

“Our toy, the guy we were keeping!” The man shouted

 

Chad! So they were the ones who did this…One of them was a girl…Obviously, girls could be that kind of monsters too. Her name was Debbie, he didn’t remember the guy’s one. He first thought of denying it, but held himself back. Instead, he straightened his stance and looked right at him. “Yeah. That was me. So? What are you gonna do?”

 

This was enough to make the guy speechless, he wasn’t expecting such an answer obviously. The girl was also taken aback but she huffed and drew out a switchblade.

 

“Maybe we can’t kill you, but we can at least damage your pretty face a bit!”

 

“Try…” Unconsciously, he barred his teeth and both of them were suddenly reminded of what happened a few days ago. They weren’t the only one. A laugh echoed.

 

“Are you going to tear their lips off too?” Asked Iris in excitement. She was genuinely hopeful of that.

 

“Maybe not,” he turned back to Debbie. “But I can guarantee you I don’t care that you’re a girl, you’re still a rapist, I won’t spare you.”

 

“Oh, as if you…”

 

Before she could expect it, he punched her in the guts hard and tore her arm violently to make her release the knife. He grabbed the weapon as the guy tried to attack him. He made a deep cut on his arm with the blade, startling him. Taking the chance, he punched him hard in the face before being punched as well by the girl. She didn’t hit him that hard, though; he retaliated with an elbow in her nose and kicked her down. She lost balance and fell. He turned to the guy who hit him in the stomach. He felt his breath eave his lung but dodged the next blow and punched him hard in the plexus before slapping one of his ears as hard as possible. The guy stumbled at this. Bruce gave him two quick punches and kicked the back of his knees, making him fall as well. The image of Chad passed through his mind and he violently kicked him in the stomach.

 

The crowd was still barking and cheering, when Bruce was grabbed by behind, two arms gripping his shoulders firmly. He was strongly pulled away from the whimpering psycho. He tried to struggle but he was roughly spun round and faced a tall and very broad man.

 

“We need everyone. You’ll kill them when they’ll be useless.”

 

“Since when do we restrain anyone from killing?” Asked a woman suddenly.

 

“Yeah, if he is ready to murder someone, we should let him do that,” Jeri added.

 

The man released him but Bruce wasn’t trying to struggle anymore. What the hell? He didn’t intend to kill them! Jeri advanced to him and gave him a huge, scary smile. “Come on, you know you want to. Why should you hold yourself back, after all? They’re rapists, you loath them. If anything, you’ll just help innocent people by taking two of them away like that…”

 

Bruce backed away, shaking his head stubbornly. They started to surround him, though. He tightened his fist, his skin was still wet with the rain and he felt like it gave him strength again. He remembered that feeling under the storm...He had to give something to Jerome: he was bigger than all of them. So if Jerome couldn’t break him, those guys wouldn’t make him budge. Jeri titled her head:

 

“I got an idea: how about a game? How about he has to kill one of them, or we kill both?”

 

“No,” Bruce stubbornly declared.

 

“What are you gonna do? Let both of them die? Are you good enough to try to save them? Or would you let them die? Tell me, what does your moral tells you? Should you save one murderer, who could kill innocent people, or should you make sure the two of them die?”

 

They were all looking at him, expecting and smirking. Jeri handed him the gun. For a slight instant, he considered taking it and shooting her in the leg. But what would be the use? He still couldn’t escape, and they wouldn’t give up the idea. Then the less expected thing happened. Someone suddenly ripped the gun away from Jeri’s hand and they saw Jerome tsking.

 

“Nice idea, but you’re not allowed to play with him.” He turned to the boy: “Go away.”

 

For once, Bruce was completely clueless, he had no idea why Jerome would spare him from that. Yet he didn’t ask anything, he was just happy to get away. He wasn’t the only one. All of them wondered why their blood-thirsty boss did such a thing. Was he growing soft?

 

“You don’t want him to kill?” Jeri was the only one who dared to ask. Her smirk was gone and her confidence had dropped.  

 

Jerome huffed but he didn’t seem angry. “Of course I do. But I want it to come from him. The first killing..” he turned to face her but spoke for everyone. “That’s meaningful. It’s at that moment you realize your true nature, it’s life-changing. He thinks he isn’t a killer, and when he’ll finally kill someone, he’ll realize how wrong he is. But if you force him to kill, then…This epiphany will never get to him. He’ll always excuse himself, always shield himself thinking he was cornered into doing it, that you were the real killer. He’ll never get the full consequences for his first kill. And I want him to.”

 

Silence reigned, and Jeri smiled in admiration. People could hardly impress her anymore, but this guy, who was actually younger than her, could do that. He inspired her, he made her look at life in an exciting way, one which made her forget about her wish to cut her wrists in a tub.

 

“It’s why you keep him. Him being difficult isn’t a problem, you enjoy it.”

 

Jerome nodded. “Teaching him taught me a lot as well. It still does. Ambition love difficulties. But now, enough talking about that, come with me.”

 

She followed him and when they were through, she was smiling gleefully.

 

**O o O**

 

Today could be a big day.

 

Jerome Valeska had been seen lurking around a hospital, as well as some other psychos. Oswald’s men had given Jim a direct call once they sighted him. Jeremiah Valeska had told the cops how Bruce had seen plans of a hospital, and since that, Oswald had made sure to have as many hospital watched as possible. Jerome had been sighted near Gotham’s Hospital Center, the biggest one of the city. Of course he would go there! Pretty much every soldiers and cops were on this. The cultists had made no move yet, they had been seen, and that was all. But they would strike and probably soon.

 

Jim Gordon was feeling a new spark of hope and energy. This wouldn’t last long anymore, he was sure of that! They would finally get this bastard! He had no mole anymore, and now they knew about his next move. Bullock wasn’t as enthusiastic. A hospital…If anything went wrong, this could be among the worst tragedies that occurred at the hands of the cult. He couldn’t help but feel thankful that Essen wasn’t in this hospital. As for Alfred, he wanted nothing but to get Bruce back and finally give Jerome what he deserved for everything he put everyone through!

 

Most of the military forces and the cops would go to that hospital. Only Jerome and a handful of cultists had been sighted but he was pretty sure the psycho leader would make this big. If there had been plans, as Bruce told Jeremiah, then it was something planned and someone like Jerome wouldn’t take the time to plan for nothing.

 

Hilliger had given instructions, they would first locate Jerome and his henchmen and evacuate the hospital as safely as possible. They would put themselves in position to surround the perimeter as well, making sure to stop any escape from them. Jim looked at Alfred and he could see he was on the edge, even though his military past had taught him to stay under control.

 

“Hey, you’re okay?”

 

“I am, I just hope we can…End things smoothly, and find Bruce. I know he will be scattered, but…But as long as he is alive, I can fix him.”

 

“I’m sure he alive.”

 

“Yeah. He survived Valeska all that time,” Bullock uttered softly.

 

Alfred nodded and didn’t say anything else. If he kept talking, he would lose his self-control. He kept imagining Bruce dead; images of his boy murdered in a violent way had plagued his mind those last days. How bad he looked in that tower…What if he died before he could reach him… _No, focus!_

 

Once they reached the hospital, Bullock went along with the team tasked to evacuate the hospital, while Gordon and Alfred remained with Hilliger to chase the terrorists. As silently as possible, they covered and ran through the area. They had a description of their vehicle; they were looking for a small white van. They were in the hospital parking lot, Jim had to make an effort to breathe properly. They really couldn’t screw that up!

 

He looked at his colleagues around, they were advancing as discretely and as silently as possible, even though doing that in an open space was really risky. He saw a van which corresponded to the description which was given. If that was it…His heart almost missed a beat.

 

A tall redhead was running toward the van along with a handful of other people. They rushed toward them, guns pointed at them:

 

“GCPD! Hands up, surrender, now!”

 

Jerome and his little group pointed their guns at them, but they were faster. Two of them got shot in the leg, the third got shot in the chest. As for Jerome he tried to get cover, but one bullet got him. The young man fell on the ground. Jim and Hilliger immediately ran toward him.

 

Could it be?!

 

Finally, they put down Jerome Valeska! They got him!

 

Jim’s first thought was for Bruce. They would finally free him! But as they approached, Jim saw that the flaming red hair were deceitful. That face…That wasn’t Jerome! Coughing blood and gargling, the young man was convulsing and looking panicked.

 

“What the hell?! This isn’t Valeska!”

 

But his hair was the same color and done just like Jerome’s…Oh no, this wasn’t good; there was something fishy behind this! He looked at Alfred who came toward them and frowned, mouth hanging in disbelief. Jim stood up and called Bullock. He just had to tell his partner that something was wrong.

 

“ _Jim, did you get them?_ ”

 

“We did, but it wasn’t Jerome.”

 

“ _What?_ ”

 

“It was some guy who looks like him, I don’t know what they’re doing, but…”

 

A voice in Hilliger’s talkie suddenly interrupted them. “ _Suspect package near the dumpsters! I repeat, suspect package near the dumpsters!_ ”

 

Hilliger barked at the SWAT to arrest the punks who were still alive and rushed as well as Jim and Alfred and several other cops and soldiers toward the dumpsters. Hell, they didn’t evacuate everyone already, what if this was a bomb? Screw that, it was undoubtly a bomb. But what the hell was the thing with that guy looking like Jerome? Jim couldn’t get that away from his mind.

 

They all got in position and stayed at safe distance while a woman from the bomb squad went to the package. She started to undo it. They were all watching anxiously. In his mind, Jim was starting to wonder: why would Jerome needs the plans of that hospital if all he planned was putting a bomb next to the dumpsters? And what the hell was that thing with the redhead guy?

 

The package opened and suddenly, something jumped out of it. They all pointed their guns out of reflex and saw that it was nothing but some Jack in the box. What? The woman was quick to realize there was no bomb, nothing but that clown-faced toy. And on the top of the clown’s head, a paper had been taped. Only one thing was written:

 

GOTCHA!

 

They were all starting to realize the same thing: it was all a ‘prank’. Jerome had tricked them! But to what purpose? Maybe there was none. After all, he just liked to put chaos around, and playing with their minds and expectation would be his kind of things. Still, there had to be more. Did he really just do that to prank them?

 

A phone rang, it was Hilliger’s. Once Jim saw the General’s face crumbling, he knew he was right: there had to be something else.

 

“The GCPD is being attacked!”

 

Oh god! His first thought was for Lee; she was still in GCPD when they left!

 

The evacuation process didn’t stop though; they had to be sure nothing lethal had been left behind. Those who stayed behind to ensure everything was going well didn’t notice the strange woman in the middle of the innocent people.

 

Jeri was having a hard time not to laugh at the whole mess. When Jerome had told her to lead that prank-diversion, she knew this would be fun. She had picked up the most useless people among those she knew, the stupidest, those who would just do as they were told and wouldn’t represent a great loss if they got killed. She had instructed them to stay around and make sure to get noticed, and finally to leave that package. She had remained around, played the normal citizen visiting a friend at hospital (taking off her make-up and dressing as a normal person was almost traumatic). And of course, as a good citizen, she had pointed out the suspect people in the parking lot.

Jerome was the one who had the idea to dye the hair of one of them to make sure the police would confuse them for him. It almost comforted her for not being in the GCPD. She would have loved to see that! Oh, it didn’t matter, more fun was on the way.

 

She watched as the soldiers eventually left. She did left as well, still maintaining that fake image of a nice civilian. It was time to join Jerome, a friend of her was waiting for her, and none of them wanted to be late for the next event.

 

What should have been a glorious day for the authorities turned into the repeat of a nightmare when they came back. First, they saw people in the streets being attacked, and they immediately had to rush out of their cars to rescue them. Jim directly went to the entrance, and saw immediately that it had been blown. It was probably the work of a grenade. Inside, he saw some of the few cops who had remained in the GCPD dead or wounded on the ground. All the people imprisoned, cultists and criminals alike, had been freed. Every cells were empty.

 

“Everyone, we have to clear the area, some of them could be around!” Hilliger ordered as he entered along with some soldiers.

 

But Jim was pretty sure those who attacked had left before they could arrive. Lee! His gun held before him, he went to the lab but saw no one. Neither friends nor foes. Lee! Oh no, Lee, where are you?! And Ed? “Lee! Ed!”

 

No answer. He tried to look in the other rooms, still calling their names. He heard sobs and a door opening. He hoped to see Lee but saw Kristin Kringle exiting from a closet instead. He was at first disappointed it wasn’t Lee but mentally slapped himself. Kristin wasn’t less important! He went to her, she seemed shaken but safe and sane. He gently took her by the shoulders and she gripped his coat tightly, sobbing and trembling.

 

“Kristin! What happened?!”

 

“I don’t know! They took Ed and Lee!” She sobbed again and took a deep breath, Jim rubbed her shoulders, trying to stay calm, although he was really scared now. “He pushed me into the closet…Told me not to get out.”

 

“Who? Ed?”

 

She nodded. “I hea…Heard everything! They took them, Jim, you have to find them!”

 

This was getting worse! What would Jerome do to them?! “Where did they go?!”

 

“I don’t know, there was just that…That girl, she told Lee to come with her, and some of them took Ed too. I couldn’t do anything!”

 

That girl…Laura? Didn’t matter now, he ran back to Hilliger and Bullock. The image of Lee tied to the wheel flashed through his mind. He didn’t want her to go through that again! Jerome had taken Bruce, now he was going to take a friend and the woman he loved!

 

**O o O**

 

It wasn’t the first time that Lee Thompkins was in danger, no. She had been terrified each time, but today was perhaps the most terrifying experience she ever had. She had been kidnapped along with Ed, she was in a van going God knew where, her hands were tied together, and she was surrounded by a bunch of psychos. Some of them were throwing dirty looks at her, but for now at least, they weren’t touching her, no. Laura was staying at her side with a possessive, almost predatory stance. The teen had taken her…Lee had tried to hide but Laura had searched for her and taken her away with the threat of a gun.

 

Yet that wasn’t the scariest of all. Bruce Wayne and Nygma were actually her biggest worry right now. Ed because he was in another van, along with Jerome Valeska, and Bruce because he was in a bad state.

 

She had read Jerome’s journal, and she knew how obsessed he was with the boy, he didn’t want Bruce to die. Yet Bruce was lying here, hardly conscious, his face completely pale and his body shaking very slightly. He also had cuts and bruises on his face and marks on his neck, as if someone had strangled him. Yet none of those wounds could be lethal. One of his ears had been damaged, but it was scarring and not too badly.

 

She had been able to move and put the boy in lateral position with his head on her laps, in order to avoid him banging it if he had any convulsions. She also wanted to give him comfort. He was breathing normally, though it was a bit ragged. From what she could see, he seemed to be under a substance, yet she needed to be confirmed. She looked at the girl beside Laura and gathered the courage to speak.

 

“What did you do to him?”

 

“Jerome just gave him a little something to keep him calm. I must say it’s a bit boring, I prefer him when he is in badass mode!”

 

Hell, she wished she had been wrong. He could be going through a mild overdose, or maybe it was simply the effect of losing consciousness, it was hard to tell in such circumstances, she couldn’t examine him properly. Keeping her bound hands in his hair, she looked at the cultists.

 

“What is it you gave him?” Asked she

 

“Jerome just injected whatever he pleased into him,” a boy answered, looking at her weirdly.

 

“Well he isn’t reacting well to it!”

 

“Will you shut up?! Laura, why are you keeping her?”

 

The girl looked at Lee with some pride and fascination. “She is beautiful…To think those dirty cops could touch her…”

 

“Yeah, pretty disgusting,” Iris commented.

 

“I’m sure she would be absolutely stunning as a killer.”

 

Lee opened her mouth to protest but was caught off by a moan from Bruce. She looked down at him again and stroked his temples with her thumbs. She murmured some reassuring words to him. He seemed to be able to hear her, though he might not be able to decipher everything.

 

“How can you know that about her?” Asked Iris.

 

“I don’t really know it. Maybe I just have a weakness for pretty things, and she is one.”

 

This made Lee’s eyes widen and she looked at Laura again. “Laura, I’m way too old for you, that kind of things…”

 

This made the girl burst into laughter. “I don’t want you like that! Do you think I’m in love with you? No, I’m not. But I like you, you’re smarter than the cops, you could be much better. I just want my own work of art.”

 

Lee didn’t answer anything. It seemed like she could believe her, Laura had made no inappropriate gesture, but then what? Did she really objectify her so much that she thought she was something to mold? She reported her attention on Bruce who was blinking, apparently regaining some consciousness. “Hey, Bruce, you’ll be okay, you hear me? Hang on…”

 

“Oh, his mom is taking care of him!” Someone sneered

 

“Take care of me too, mama!” One man laughed.

 

She did her best to ignore that. They could mock, as long as they didn’t touch her or Bruce, she didn’t care if they mocked her.

 

In the other van, Ed Nygma would have probably done anything to be simply laughed at. Jerome had beaten him, and when Ed had asked why, the redhead just laughed: “Do I need a reason?!” He had taken a closer look: “Well, I could tell you it’s because you remind me of my brother, with the glasses and the nerdy look. But I would probably still beat you in any case.”

 

He had a small respite until Jerome came to him again. He squeezed his jaw, expecting other blows but none came. Instead, Valeska crouched to him and gave a little grin: “Y’a know, I just have to look at you, four-eyes, and know pretty much everything about your life. Lemme guess: rough school, peers who teased and taunted, so you took refuge in your books and shit like that because going to play outside was a tad too dangerous for you. Highschool was the worst; you looked at girls and couldn’t get any even though you badly wanted them, even the ones who weren’t so popular. All that while getting bullied. But still, you went to school every day, even though it was a torment, and you would still be a good boy, do your homework, clean up your room. You had almost no friends, just some sporadic people taking pity on you. You wanted to persuade yourself that their friendship was real, but no. Deep down, you knew that it wasn’t real. And today, you have that job, you probably enjoy some of it, but it’s not going so well.”

 

He shifted a bit and leaned closer toward Nygma: “I bet it’s just like in Highschool: you’re still surrounded by jokes, you hardly get recognition, and you still get no girls. And you know it won’t get any better.” He smirked hugely: “I’m right, am I not?”

 

Well, not exactly. He was going out with Kristin Kringle, but he wouldn’t tell Jerome. At least, he had managed to hide her and he was happy of it. But, for the rest of it…He shook his head, he didn’t want to admit it. _He is right, and you know it. I always told you we deserved better!_ The voice in his head was cackling as well, not helping at all.

 

“I’m right. And you know what? It’s not gonna change.”

 

No, that wasn’t true! He liked his job, and he had a girlfriend, and Jim was his friend! Right? But something in him was churning. He hated the other cops, and Jim was nice, but sometimes, he could see pity in the man’s eyes. And Kristin…How would she react if she discovered he killed her ex? _Everything you managed to get could be lost easily_ , the voice sneered.

 

“You know nothing about me,” he said, but he didn’t know if he was talking to Jerome or to the voice.

 

“Oh I do. I just told you your entire life. And lemme tell you something else: inside, deep inside, you want to stop being the nice little guy who will just take and never punch back. I’m pretty sure that if you could, you would kill them all, hell, I’m pretty sure you fantasized about it many times.”

 

_We didn’t just fantasize about it, didn’t we?_

 

Ed didn’t answer anything. He remembered killing that officer who abused Kristin, but he had deserved it, that didn’t make him anything like those lunatics! Right?

 

“Yes, you did. I bet what I just give you isn’t the worst you got. And yet you’re still so scared whenever someone raises their hand. I bet you do everything to avoid it.”

 

_We shouldn’t cower away, we’re better than the morons we work with! You want us to survive? Listen to what he has to say. As crazy as he is, that’s the sanest thing anyone ever told you!_

 

“None of your potential will ever really come out, until you accept to be free. Look at me: I would have stayed an insignificant little thing in a circus, if I didn’t manage to see what the world really was, and learned to live and laugh properly! And you, my friend, you should do the same. You know, I might have been rough with you, but I do have a things for crazies and loners. It would be funny to kill you, why not? But if you want to try and be free, I won’t stop you.”

 

“…Thought I reminded you of your brother, and you wanted to kill me for that.” 

 

“At first. But I’ll kill Jeremiah anyway, so I don’t necessarily need a replacement.”

 

He continued to speak to him during the whole travel. And the voice definitely liked what Jerome had to say.

 

**O o O**

 

Finding someone who worked in Arkham Asylum and who happened to be mentally fragile hadn’t been uneasy. Not at all. Right after the Tower event, when he had thought of invading Arkham, he understood he would need someone from the inside. Jerome remembered one young woman from the security staff who was a bit fragile. She had been able to fool her colleagues to believe she was fine (or maybe they didn’t care), but distress was there. Jerome had seen that. Carla her name was. He had kidnapped her and let one of his cultists handle her, a man who knew some little things about brainwashing. Yesterday, he had made the effort not to think too much about Bruce, and focused on her instead. He and his cultist had spent most of the day perfecting her conditioning.

 

In fact, he had wanted to tell Bruce about it, he had wanted to tell him that much more was on the way, but when he had came back, he had found Bruce on the roof and had almost forgotten about it. At this moment, there had been something amazing, inspiring and almost frightening in Bruce. Like the kid had unveiled a new layer of strength Jerome didn’t know existed and a part of him had been a bit afraid. He didn’t know why. After all, he wanted Bruce to challenge him and surprise him. Didn’t matter. Jerome would repay the favor and surprise him as well.

 

Hell, how would Bruce react knowing that what he told Jeremiah actually served his purpose? After the boy admitted telling Jeremiah about the hospital’s maps, he got this idea: why not send someone at a hospital, making the authorities believe that his big plan would occur there? They would think they had one move ahead. That thought made him smirk.

 

Now, they were reaching their true goal, all those efforts were paying.

 

Carla and the man who brainwashed her were in Arkham, she had introduced him as a new guard and made him enter easily. Together they had worked wonders. The standard and the phone lines had been put off, they wouldn’t be able to call anyone through it. Now, the challenge would be to make sure they wouldn’t call the police through a cell phone, but what was life without a good challenge?

 

He heard someone mumble near him and realized it was that hostage talking. He didn’t know his name, but he was kinda funny, even though he had this Jeremiah-vibe he didn’t like.

 

“Shut up…Just leave me alone…”

 

Jerome tilted his head. He was talking to himself… “Seems like Arkham will suit you fine!”

 

Ed looked at him in disbelief: “Arkham.”

 

“Didn’t I tell you? That’s where we’re going!”

 

He laughed at Ed’s horrified face.

 

A few minutes before the psychos arrived, Carla spoke through the speakers and had everyone reunited in the main Hall. _Order of the director, everyone gather in the Main Hall, I repeat, everyone gather in the Main Hall_. From where he was, Dr Hugo Strange was surprised: he never ordered such a thing. He went to find whoever was speaking, wondering what was happening. When he entered, he saw two dead guards, both had been shot. The woman in the room pointed the gun at him and he just had the time to run away and lock himself in the first room he could find. Oh, why the hell did he leave the cell-phone in his office?!

 

No one suspected much, most of the people just followed the directives. They weren’t suspicious; then, the cultists entered Arkham, Jerome ahead of them, and the inmate inside cheered while the doctors and the rest of the staff were threatened with guns. Lee, Nygma and Bruce were all pushed by cultists, threatened with guns as well. Bruce still had to lean against Lee to properly walk, but he was fully conscious, at least.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening! I hope you’ll enjoy our little entertainment! Some of you might remember me already!”

 

Cheers were heard from the inmates. The sane ones were terrorized, they knew Jerome of course, and they knew this wouldn’t end well. Jerome chuckled.

 

“Today is the day you’ll be free! You can finally rebel against those people who locked you up, forced you to take pills and humiliated you! They tried to mess up your brain, well I say let’s break their skulls! You can tear that place down, or just leave it, as you wish. Just remember: have fun! Have as much fun as you want!”

 

This was what they needed. The inmates started to attack the doctors, the staff, or ran outside toward their new freedom. Soon, everything became chaos. The cultists attacked the security team mostly, giving their weapons to the lunatics. Screams, cackles, shouts, clangors, all of that in a violent storm of unbearable sounds. Loud carnival music was added to the whole mess, at was resonating loudly through the speakers, transforming the whole place into a gigantic and demented circus. Laura and Casey both took Lee away from Bruce and the boy stumbled and tried to catch her back but was pushed down by another cultists. Nygma was also brought elsewhere by some of the psychos.

 

Jerome laughed maniacally at the result of his actions. That was exactly what he wanted. He attacked as well, one of the doctors here had been rough with him. Well, now he would get a taste of his machete!

 

Bruce tried to stand up and help the doctors but the drug was slowing him down. The loud carnival music pounded his ears, yet he tried to focus and went toward a doctor who was getting pursued by cultists. He got attacked though, the cultists wouldn’t try to kill him, but the inmates of Arkham received no such instructions. He took a chair and started to hit whoever was trying to hurt him. He would have to fight for his life once more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, not the best, but still a lot going on. Hope you enjoyed it, don't hesitate to review!


	19. Crazy Funhouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! After a while, I'm back!

While the Great Hall was chaos, Lee was getting dragged by Casey and Laura. She tried to plant her feet in the ground, tried to pull her arms back, but they had a strong hold, and Casey eventually threatened to shoot her foot. She knew they could do it, so she eventually followed them, even though she was trembling like a leaf. “Where are you taking me?!”

 

“We’re going to the electroshock room! We’ll give you a little session, Lee!” Laura beamed.

 

“What?!” Electroshock?! That couldn’t be!

 

“You’ll be as good as new, and you’ll be ready to be one of us!”

 

No! Not that! She had a flash of herself on the chair, having convulsion under the violent jolts of electricity…“You don’t know how to use that kind of things, you’ll just kill me!”

 

“What’s life without risks?!”

 

She tried to resist again, but was reminded she would be shot in the foot. They found the room and pushed her inside. She could have thrown up at the sight of the chair. She looked around, there were drugs, syringes too, and other medical tools she perfectly knew, but right now those just seemed like torture devices.

 

“Untie her hands,” Laura instructed him while going to the chair. “We’ll need to strap her properly.”

 

He cut her bonds and put his gun on her temple, making her heart slam against her ribs.

 

“Ready to have your brain fixed?”

 

He laughed and turned to his friend to tell her about his joke: “Did you hear that, Laura?”

 

They weren’t looking at her. Without even thinking, Lee grabbed a big glass bottle and slammed it against Casey the hardest she could. It crashed against his ear, the end of his jaw and his neck. Glass shards exploded, the liquid it contained splashed everywhere and he was suddenly bleeding and falling. Laura jumped in surprise, and was stunned at such sight. Lee rushed to her and grabbed the arm holding the gun right in time before Laura could shoot her.

 

“You bitch!”

 

The two find themselves struggling and stumbling, Lee desperately trying to disarm her and Laura trying to shoot her. Lee was petite, but so was Laura who was even shorter than her. The teen pushed her against the chair, and Lee kicked her shin and pushed her too. Laura tried to bit her, tugged on her hair, and Lee jolted in pain and continued to struggle and the two hit a counter hard. Lee pushed Laura against it to try to hurt her, but the girl violently swirled, trying to free her wrist from Lee’s hold. The doctor stumbled, she was wearing small heels and she lost balance. She continued to grip Laura as she fell and both of them crashed on the floor. In the fall, Laura released the gun. Lee pushed her with all her strength, rolled over her and straddled her. She gripped her skull hard, thrusting her nails in it.

 

She crashed the girl’s skull against the hard floor. Just like she did with Barbara, the first time she tried to kill her, she bashed Laura’s head against the ground repeatedly. This had saved her once, it could save her twice! That’s what she would do to bitches! That freak wanted to grill her brain!

Soon, Laura was unmoving, her eyes shut and her body lax. The wave of rage Lee had felt lessened and she stopped. That was it…She did it! Her captors were down! She could save herself!

 

Breathing raggedly, she looked at her shoes and took those off. She would run more easily barefoot, and anyway those heels were too noisy. She took both Casey and Laura’s guns, one in her hands, the other in her doctor’s coat. She looked on the table. There were many drugs here. She knew exactly which one she would give to her captors to make sure they wouldn’t wake up. Once she was done, she exited the room, carefully avoiding broken glass shards. She had to find a phone! But where? The offices! Maybe someone left a phone in there!

 

She went to check, carefully looking around that no one was in sight. The ground was cold beneath her bare feet. She could hear yells of fear and shouts. Psychos pursuing staff members and doctors? Probably. She had to be really careful…She was approaching Doctor Strange’s office when a painted face appeared in the corridor. The man was holding a gun. He smirked creepily at her sight and she immediately raised her weapon.

 

She was sweating. She was trembling like hell. Lee hardly thought when she pulled the trigger.

 

She yelped and jumped in fright when she heard the sound and felt a vertigo when the man fell on the ground. It took her a few seconds to realize what just happened. She killed a man…Oh my god, she killed him! She was horrified but also very aware she was alive. She would have died otherwise. One second more and he could have shot first! She was trembling like crazy!

 

_Focus, you have to focus…What was I…A phone!_

 

She tried the Strange’s office but it was locked. Her heart was beating so hard, someone could come in any minutes! She tried another one and this time it opened. She could have yelped in joy but stopped herself. Mechanically, she threw herself at it. It was working! She had to call Jim! His number…She made an effort to remember it, she could have called 911, but she didn’t want a random cop. She wanted someone she could trust. She heard it dial, she was breathing intensely and it seemed like an eternity before he answered the phone.

 

“ _Gordon._ ”

 

“Jim! It’s me!”

 

“ _Lee! Where are you?!_ ”

 

“In Arkham, it’s under attack!”

 

“ _Arkham! What can you tell me, is Jerome here_?”

 

“Yeah, and Bruce and Nygma too!”

 

“ _Okay, you know the place, do you know where you can safely hide_?”

 

“Yeah…I just found an office; I locked myself in.”

 

“ _Okay, tell me everything you can about the situation_.”

 

She told him everything she knew, until she heard a loud yell of pain. She hung down immediately and approached the locked door.

 

“STOP!”

 

She froze: that was Nygma’s voice! Oh God…She couldn’t stay here, she couldn’t! Some of the people in here had been her colleagues, Nygma was a friend, and Bruce was still in the middle of that chaos. But what could she do…She took a deep breath and unlocked the door.

 

**O o O**

 

Although the massacre had started in the Great Hall, it was now going on in most of the facility. The staff had tried to run away from the Main Hall and where getting pursued by the cultists and psychos. Riots weren’t new in Arkham and that’s maybe why they were holding on better than any other targets ever did. The doctors and the staff were hiding or fighting as much as they could. Bruce was doing exactly the same. He would use every object he could find to fight off. He hit a man violently with a chair, making him bend over. He grabbed his hair and slammed his face violently against a table. The man fell and Bruce hardly had time to catch a breath. He had to get those people out!

 

He knocked out one of the psycho, using the chair again, saving the doctor he was pursuing: “Run out!”

 

The man grabbed his arm and pulled him along toward the next corridor. “There are emergency exits! We have to reach those!”

 

“Where?” Asked Bruce. “We must get the others!”

 

“We have to run away, kid!”

 

Bruce allowed him to lead him toward the exit to locate it. His mind was still foggy but he could think clearly enough. He had to evacuate most of them and find a way to stop the psychos from pursuing them. That wouldn’t be easy but he had to figure something out! Once they reached it, he freed himself from the man’s hold and ran away. The doctor tried to call him back, but to no avail.

 

He had to find a way to get as many people out, so when the police would come, they would be able to…But wait, did they knew? Surely someone called, right? And where was Jerome?

 

 _A phone, I need to find a phone first, to call Jim Gordon._ But where could he find a phone?

 

He had no time to think of that. He saw two guards fighting three cultists. They were battered and wounded but they were still doing their best to push their attackers. Bruce jumped on a teenage boy who was about to stab one. Grabbing his arm, he punched the cultist in face and kicked him in the shin. The guy retaliated with a punch on Bruce’s face but it wasn’t enough to make him let go. Suddenly, the guy received a hard blow in the face, allowing Bruce to disarm him easily. The guard who attacked the teen, a tall and sturdy woman, sent him on the ground and kicked him unconscious. Her colleague finished the last one.

 

Catching his shoulders gently, she spoke softly, seeing Bruce had been hurt. “Kid, you alright? What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m fine. My name’s Bruce Wayne, I’m their hostage.”

 

She gaped and so did her colleague, a big and bald man. “Shit! Okay, we’ll get you somewhere safe!”

 

“Wait, there is an exit, we have to lead people…”

 

“No kid, some of those lunatics ran outside, leading people there would be dangerous. We have to lock people somewhere safe until the cops come.”

 

Of course…They were right, leading people outside was dangerous. He thought of the doctor and hoped he made it.

 

“Where can I find a phone?” Asked he

 

“There are offices that way in the next corridor, we’ll lead you there and you’ll lock yourself until the cops come…”

 

They heard loud screams coming from upstairs: “HELP! HELP!”

 

“I’ll go hide in an office,” Bruce lied. “Don’t worry about me, go help them!”

 

Before they could answer, he ran away. They went to the people being attacked, they could lose time running after the kid. Just as he reached the corridor they spoke of, someone jumped on him. Bruce yelped in surprise and saw a tall boy who grabbed him by the arm.

 

“Jerome is looking for you!” He said in a giggly, demented voice.

 

Bruce punched him hard in the face and kicked him against the wall. He didn’t wait for the guy to actually register what just happened. He jumped on him and punched and kicked him again before pinning him against the wall, his forearm on his neck.

 

“Where is Jerome?”

 

At this, the guy tried to smirk but he was in pain and scared of Bruce. The boy was pressing hard enough to hurt but he could still speak. “Everywhere!”

 

Bruce just grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall, knocking him out. He couldn’t lose more time with that punk, he still had to find a phone! Running through the corridor, he finally found an open office where a phone was, still intact and probably working. He threw himself at it. He just had to call 911 and…

 

“Bruce!”

 

He froze as he heard that voice. He wanted to find Jerome, but it seemed like the contrary happened.

 

**O o O**

 

Lee heard Edward scream again and she shivered. She sneaked as quickly as possible, he didn’t sound like he was that far…She threw herself against a wall before crossing the next corner. A group of cultists were running, cackling and yelping. They sounded like animals. She didn’t get caught. And he had a hard time overcoming the paralysis. She checked out whether or not there was anyone. For now the corridor was deserted but it wouldn’t last. She quickly went to the room from which she could hear Nygma.

 

She entered abruptly, and saw her friend strapped to a bed, his face bleeding, with one man holding a scalpel right to his eye and the other holding a pair of pliers and Nygma’s wrist in the other. She pointed her gun at them. Surprised by her sudden entrance, they stopped what they were doing.

 

“Don’t move! Stop hurting him!”

 

“Lee!”

 

She turned to the guy with the scalpel: “Let go of that and untie him! Now!”

 

He did as she ordered, the scalpel feel on Ed’s chest and the man started to undo the first strap. As he was undoing the second, his accomplice threw the pliers right in Lee’s face, startling her. She yelped and instinctively turned her head away. The man lunged at her and pinned her to the wall. All breath was released for her lungs at this.

 

The other one was about to go and help his friend but Nygma grabbed the scalpel with his free hand and planted it in his side. The bent over and the scientist stabbed his throat this time. The man crumbled. As Ed jumped from the bed, he heard Lee’s attacker yelping as she kneed him in the groin violently, making him release. She shot him right in the skull. She pinned herself against the wall in shock as blood was splattered all over on the floor, the walls and herself.

 

Seeing she didn’t need any help, Ed stabbed his attacker again as he was agonizing. He stabbed him a third time, and a fourth. It was just like with Kristin’s ex! Ah, he had wanted to gouge his eye out, well the poor little nerd had some backbone!

 

“Ed…”

 

He stopped at the sound of her quivering voice. She was panting from shock, her face sprinkled with tiny droplets of blood. She looked scared at him. This wasn’t right…Nygma’s smirk disappeared and a softer, worried expression appeared. He was breathing raggedly, he went to her, grabbed her shoulders gently. “You alright?”

 

“…Yeah…What about you, they…”

 

His face was bruised, his lip bleeding, and he had several blood stain on his clothes. She took his hands and saw what happened: some of his nails were missing! His fingers were all bloody!

 

“We need to take care of you.”

 

“It hurts like hell but that’s not the priority.”

 

“You’re right, we…We need to get out of here! I found a phone earlier and called Jim, so they’re coming! We need to find Bruce Wayne and find a safe place!”

 

As she turned round, Ed grabbed her by the arm: “Wait, you worked here, right? Do you know where we can watch the security camera?”

 

“Yeah…Yeah, I do remember.”

 

“Then we’ll have to go there! If we can do that we’ll be able to watch everything and everyone! We could be of help to the cops.”

 

That was a great idea! They would also be able to locate Bruce! She gave Ed the second gun she had stolen from Casey and Laura and they left. Reaching that place was easier than they first thought, the asylum was huge and the employee area wasn’t so interesting to the attackers. The medical stuff and operation rooms were much more at their taste. However, unlike what they expected, the room wasn’t deserted.

 

Carla, the one who helped the cultists, was sitting here, watching out for any police arrival. When Lee and Ed entered, she reached out for her gun. Lee pointed hers at the woman.

 

“Don’t move!”

 

But Carla didn’t care, she pointed her weapon at the doctor but a shot echoed and Lee was startled while Carla gaped in shock and let the weapon fall from her hand. Red appeared on her belly and she crumbled on the ground. Lee looked at her side to see Nygma with his gun pointed, his expression colder and calmer than she expected. Ed advanced toward the cultist, his gun still ready to shoot. Her smirk had disappeared when she looked up at Ed. She was trembling in shock, fear and pain. He was smirking however: “Not so tough anymore, uh?” He pointed the gun at her…

 

“Ed! Don’t!”

 

He rolled his eyes and sent his foot violently in her face. He wished he had shot her, but well, Dr Thompkins wanted her alive, and he owed her his life. But then now, that woman would probably not survive anyway. Lee went to Carla and checked on her but her pulse was already weak. Ed had shot her right in the belly, touched a vital organ. Applying pressure wouldn’t do much but she would try.

 

“Ed, call Jim.”

 

She told him the number and he eagerly waited for the cop to reply. “Jim! It’s Nygma…I’m fine,  and so is Lee! Did you found Kristin, I…Oh.” He sighed in relief; At least, his girlfriend was safe. It was at least one good new.

 

“Ed, where are you, right now?”

 

“In the Security Office, oh shit! Wait!”

 

He went to the door and locked it, something they didn’t take the time to do. Lee was still applying pressure on Carla’s wound but her pulse was getting weaker and weaker. Ed went back to the phone.

 

“Sorry Jim, had to lock the door. We’re in the security office, we have every screen of every camera…Okay, we will.” He turned to Lee: “We have to locate Jerome and Bruce Wayne, they’re coming…”

 

She took Carla’s pulse again and felt nothing. No more time to loose with her, she was dead. Had it been a victim, she would have felt sorrier, but that woman would have shot her with no regret. She looked at the screen and saw the boy.

 

“I see Bruce! He is beating a guy! Here!”

 

“Yeah, I see him,” he spoke to Jim: “We see Bruce Wayne, he is with two security member, they’ll probably take him somewhere safe.”

 

It was a relief. Lee suddenly tapped his shoulder and showed him another screen: “There are other people coming, Jim” he declared as he looked at it.

 

Their mouth hung open at what they saw. Indeed, other psychos were exiting vehicles, and they were holding two persons at gunpoint. She took the phone from Ed as Jim was asking: “ _Are they other cultists?_ ”

 

“Yeah, Jim and they got hostages! I think…It’s Jeremiah! And that’s girl, Selina! They’re taking them inside!”

 

**O o O**

 

Bruce froze as he saw his captor in the door frame, a cold, amused and angry expression on his face. He was with two other cultists, Dwight and another he didn’t know. Jerome advanced toward him aggressively and when he seized Bruce’s sweater, the boy pushed him away. Both his arms were immediately seized by the two cultists. They pushed him against the desk roughly while Jerome towered over him. Pain and exhaustion were starting to take a toll on the boy who knew he wouldn’t be able to free himself.

 

“Trying to call the cops, Brucie?”

 

“Go to hell!”

 

“I already told you once: this is hell, and I’m the boss! I was looking out for you, y’a know? I got a very interesting call, but its seems like a little punishment is required before anything else. Let’s see…”

 

He grabbed a stapler which had been on the desk and took Bruce’s arm away from Dwight, holding it strongly. He pulled up his sleeve, uncovering Bruce’s lower arm. “You know I don’t like kids who tells on other. Need to teach you a lesson it seems.”

 

With that, he planted a first staple in Bruce’s skin.

 

Although it hurt like hell, the boy did his best not to show anything. He only blinked tightly but no yelp of pain came out. Both Dwight and the other man were stunned by that. Jerome’s smirk disappeared, this was becoming more interesting again. Part of him expected Bruce to show pain, but once again, his friend showed he had more resistance. It made Jerome yearn for his screams once more!

 

A second staple was planted in his arm and this time the boy didn’t even blink.

 

A third one. “Stop!”

 

This time, Bruce couldn’t handle it anymore. The pain was so stupid and meaningless, it was making it even worse. Jerome chuckled at this. He loved to find Bruce’s limits! He took his gun and shot the phone, destroying it, and smirked.

 

“Oopsie! Seems like our dear friend Gordon isn’t coming so soon. Anyway, I got someone to watch around for us. If they approach, we’ll know immediately, so I wouldn’t be so hopeful if I were you.” He laughed at Bruce’s crumbling face. “I might be crazy Bruce, but I’m not stupid. I’m not about to make this easy for anyone.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Bruce tried to find something to say. He didn’t want to seem defeated after what Jerome just did. The pain in his arm was really awful. “They almost got you last time, in the tower.”

 

“Yeah sure. I’m sorry, but it seems like we’re heading toward a stupid and pointless debate, and I got something much more interesting. You see, there is something new for us, Bruce! There is no way I would let you miss it!”

 

Still holding him, they pulled him along with them. He tried to ask what was going on but Jerome gave no answer. It didn’t take long for Bruce to understand they were going back toward the Main Hall. That room was still a blood and fight fest. Loud carnival music was still played, making Bruce’s head ache.

Right before them as they entered, a doctor was trying to fight a cultist who wanted to maim them with a machete. Bruce tried to free himself to help him when someone strongly tore him away from the two men holding him.

 

He just had the time to realize it was Jerome before his captor encircled his back with one arm and pulled him against his chest. They were now in a waltz-like position, and Jerome spun round, sweeping Bruce along while giggling maniacally. His body seemed incredibly heavy, yet Jerome manipulated it as if it weighted nothing. Pain spread through him, vertigo blurred his vision and he felt sickened. It wasn't only pain which made him feel that way, but the mental image of the picture he formed with Jerome: a sick dance with one partner completely deranged and the other bloody and barely able to move along.

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

“Dancing with you, silly!”

 

What the hell? After torturing him? Jerome laughed at his confused expression: “You’re just thrilling whenever you want to fight! And I’m so happy I can’t help it!”

 

He noticed the other cultists who started to mimick them, dancing together or dragging hostages to serve as partners. Soon enough, the whole room became some deranged ball room, with people waltzing on carnival music in the middle of corpses. Bruce pushed Jerome away, but the psycho immediately caught him back. He could feel’s Jerome’s breath against his face and the way he was possessively gripping him was invasive.

 

“Stop it!”

 

“But I’m having so much fun!”

 

He stopped spinning though and approached his face from Bruce's one. The younger boy recoiled his head.

 

“If you do that, I swear you I bit your lips until I tear those away from your face too!”

 

Jerome rolled his eyes but laughed nonetheless.

 

“You're too stuck up! Though, I would really like to see you tearing someone’s lips again. You’re really a little savage!”

 

“Let go of me!”

 

“Oh no! We’re having a new show, darling! You’ll be the star, this time!”

 

All of sudden, he stopped dancing, held him by the shoulders and pulled him by the arm toward the door. “As I told you, our friends arrived with a surprise!”

 

Still held by Jerome, Bruce saw some other cultists entering; he knew some of them had been sent to do something in town, but he didn’t know what. Horror froze him over at what he saw. It couldn’t be! It couldn’t! Held and threatened with guns, Jeremiah and Selina were pushed toward Jerome. Jeremiah had blood leaking from his temple and Selina’s lip was bleeding. He didn’t know what happened but they were here because of him.

 

“Bruce!” Selina yelped at his sight. She had been a bit banged up but it was nothing compared to him and the sight of him was scary.

 

He found himself out of words. That was the worst thing possible! Jeri was triumphantly smirking, she looked at the boy, beaming.

 

“Those two tried to follow us, Brucie! I think they wanted to rescue you, isn’t cute?”

 

Jerome smirked in victory at the sight of his twin and tightened his hold on Bruce’s shoulders, to remind him who won. Jeremiah just looked scared, like a stupid rabbit, but now he had always looked like that when Jerome would pull a prank on him. He released his prisoner, jumped on a table and shot in the air, drawing people’s attention, even though some continued to fight and kill. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my twin!”

 

Most of the cultists looked out of curiosity, they knew now that Jerome had a twin, but seeing him for real was something else. The redhead turned to Bruce, savoring the fear in his friend’s eyes. Bruce didn’t dare to move, any mistakes could cost their lives! Jerome jumped off the table and grabbed Jeremiah’s jaw roughly, earning a small whimper from his twin.

 

“It’s had been such a long time! You still look like a weak little shit.”

 

He died to talk back, or to hit Jerome, but Jeremiah couldn’t do anything right now. His simple touch was scaring him more than he would ever admit.

 

“And I’m pretty sure you’re gonna die like one.” Releasing him, he looked at Selina. “Seems like one of your little friends decided to join us as well, Brucie! Is this the Selina you often spoke about?”

 

“Don’t do anything to them!”

 

“Oh, Bruce. Remember what I told you the day I took you: you can’t just ask for things, you have to earn those.”

 

He went to Jeremiah again and punched him hard in the face. Still held by two cultists, Selina couldn’t do much but watch as Jeremiah stumbled and yelped. Grabbing Jeremiah’ hair, forcing him to straighten his back, Jerome put a knife under his neck. Bruce grabbed his wrists, and pulled the knife away from Jeremiah’s throat.

 

“Stop that!”

 

For once, Jerome just ignored Bruce. “Brother dear, there is nothing I want more than slicing that throat of yours. Or I could cut that tongue away from you, for all the lies you told.” Jeremiah tensed even more at those words and Jerome giggled darkly. “There are many ways I would like to kill you, maybe it will happen right now but you know what? You could survive after all.”

 

He looked at Bruce, freed himself from the boy’s hold and claimed: “Jeri’s idea wasn’t so bad: choosing between two people who will live and who will die. But two criminals you hardly cared about weren’t really a big deal. Here however, we definitely have material for a big drama.”

 

This made Bruce nauseous again, and Jerome’s huge, shark-like smirk made his blood run cold.

 

“I told you I would give you an opportunity to save my brother: choose between him and your girlfriend. You have to choose which one I’ll kill, if you don’t, they both die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hesitate to review! Loved that dance scene, hope you liked it too, I really wanted to include that kind of scene in this fic!


	20. Freakshow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go! Don't hesitate to tell me i you spot mistakes.

Arkham was being surrounded. Unknowingly to Jerome, the cops and the soldiers were getting in position, arresting the inmates and cultists they would find outside; they also saved most of the civilians who managed to escape. They were getting ready to get in. Jim and Hilliger were side by side, along with Alfred and Bullock.

 

“Lee, have they moved?”

 

“ _No, I don’t think they suspect anything. Ed was right, they probably counted on that woman to alert them.”_

 

They probably also thought Cameron, the mole, would give the alarm if anything happened. But Cameron had been directly locked in a military prison, therefore, Jerome probably never learned that he had been arrested. His two sentinels were down, unknowingly to him, and his bomb was defused. It was now or never.

 

 _“Be quick, though, they’re doing something in the Main Hall, with Jeremiah and Selina, I don’t know what it is, but I’m scared they won’t last long._ ”

 

Lee and Ed gave them every indication they needed to get in as discretely as possible. They had to open fire sooner than expected, to rescue the people getting pursued. Thankfully for them, in the chaos Arkham had become, moves and gunshots wouldn’t alert anyone anymore.

 

In the Main Hall tension was rising. The spectators were eagerly waiting for Bruce to choose, Bruce looked at the two of them; there was no way he could make that choice! He didn’t want either of them to die!

 

Jerome smirked at Bruce’ face. That would be the first step. He had been tempted to give the knife to Bruce, but as he told Jeri, he didn’t want to force him to kill, no. However, he wanted to force him to make a choice. That wasn’t the same as killing by your own hands, not to Jerome, killing someone, stabbing them or shooting them for the very first time, that was unique. Choosing who would die or not, that wasn’t thrilling and mind-changing like the first kill.

 

All he wanted for now, was to show Bruce, once and for all, that all his efforts had been vain and that in the end, one instant could ruin all his life. That was one essential step to take Bruce on the right road toward the first kill and then realization.

 

“How do I even know you’ll keep your word? That one will survive? You could be perfectly be playing one of your mean games.”

 

“Bruce, even if this is a game, it doesn’t mean it’s not important. Didn’t I allowed the people you saved to escape? The kids? And the girl in the Mall?”

 

That was true…And it was true he would also kill both if he didn’t…

 

“Cut the crap out, Jerome!” Jeremiah’s voice surprised them all. He was scared, quivering, but still talking: “Bruce will choose me, we all know that. That stupid little game is useless! Let’s get it over with.”

 

Jerome titled his head, a bit confused: “Have I overestimated you, Jeremiah? I thought you would have wrapped Bruce around your finger already, so much he wouldn’t hesitate.”

 

“That just shows how little you think! I didn’t wrap him around my finger and it’s actually much more probable that he will ask you to kill me; that’s the most logical choice. Even if he choose me to live, you’ll murder me right behind, we all know how much you hate me. You’re not letting me go out alive! However, you don’t care about that girl, and in any case, she is swift enough to escape. Bruce knows that, that’s why he will logically choose me, but then, what will you do? You’ll see me dead on the floor, and you’ll realize you just lost your favorite scapegoat. But now, that’s all you: acting recklessly, without thinking and then regretting it! You never changed…”

                                 

Jerome punched him hard, making him stumble. “And you didn’t change, still opening your damn mouth too much! You never understood you shouldn’t mess with me!”

 

Coughing, Jeremiah smirked slightly: “You always blamed me for everything that went wrong in your life, but tell me, once I’m dead, who will you take as a scapegoat?! Bruce will just hate you more, and you’ll only have yourself to blame!”

 

Jerome was about to hit him again when Bruce put himself between them. “It was a fake choice wasn’t it? You just thought I would choose Selina, didn’t you? And then you would have killed Jeremiah, just to break me a bit more. It was just all for the show, to add drama.”

 

Still furious against his brother, Jerome couldn’t help but focus on Bruce again. He didn’t seem angry, but thoughtful. He smirked: “You do know me…And you probably know there is no way I’m letting them live. But which one would you have picked up, Bruce?”

 

“Neither.”

 

Jerome frowned and was about to remind him this wasn’t an option when Selina suddenly spoke up: “You know, the cops are probably coming by now. There is no way they weren’t alerted, and you’re going to need hostages, as much as possible. You also angered Penguin, one of the biggest Crime Boss of Gotham. It’s his mother you took to the Bell Tower…”

 

“Are you trying to scare us, kid? Do you seriously believe we would do everything we did if we feared to die?! Death is a condition for us to enjoy life.” He turned to his brother. “As you pointed out, you’re the most logical choice, aren’t you? But first, tell Bruce what really happened that night. You know, when you accused me of setting your bed on fire?”

 

Jeremiah didn’t want to talk about that, but right now…Keeping Jerome talking was the best thing he could do. If he gave his twin what he wanted, he would be happy, and that was better than an angry Jerome.

 

“Yes…I did lie when I said I set your bed on fire.”

 

Bruce’s face changed at this: Jerome had told him the truth! _I never lied to you, Bruce._ That was Jerome’s word and those were true. Jeremiah closed his eyes and went on: “I was scared, and we both know you wanted to! I just acted first, that’s all!”

 

Suddenly, Jerome slammed his fist against his face once more and this time, Jeremiah fell on the ground. The cultists around cheered and Jerome went to stab Jeremiah but Bruce pushed him away and punched him hard. Jerome punched him as well, and the two started to fight. Feeling her captor’s hold lessening, Selina yanked her arms away, and pushed her captor as violent as she could. She grabbed her switchblade immediately and stabbed someone in the shoulder.

 

“Back off!” she yelled.

 

She kicked another in the teeth as they tried to get Jeremiah and she helped the teen to get on his feet. He drew out his blade as well. Jerome threw Bruce against a table, making him crash against it and loose balance. He went at his brother when several cultists shrieked and one word echoed through the Hall:

 

“GCPD!”

 

Everything moved, everyone went everywhere and the chaos just intensified. Jerome’s eyes widened: what?! He was supposed to be warned! He did the first thing he thought of: he rushed to Bruce, forcefully yanked him on his feet and put the knife under his throat: “We’re getting out!” Bruce grasped his arm but didn’t resist.

 

Every inmates and cultists either tried to fight or run away, but the military and cops weren’t as easy to take down as staff and doctors. The few civilians still alive were used as hostages as well. Selina and Jeremiah were trying to reach Bruce, the redhead clinging to the girl.

 

“Selina, get Jeremiah out! I can’t come with you!”

 

As she saw Jerome dragging Bruce away, she gaped and had a realization: he didn’t know!

 

“We defused the bomb! You can escape!”

 

Those words made Bruce’s eyes widen and Jerome’s grasp tighten. Immediately, the boy tried to struggle against his hold, but Jerome was strong and Bruce was reaching his limit. There was no way his captor would let him escape. The cops got him by surprise, yes, but he still had a way to escape! The few cultists around did everything to ease his way out, attacking the soldiers and cops, and Jerome used his hostage as much as possible to shield himself. Using the general chaos, he managed to make it to the closest elevator. Among the chaos, Jim and Bullock both saw that. They went to pursue the psycho who still had a knife under Bruce’s neck.

 

Selina yelled Bruce’s name, when she was pushed away by someone. Some of the cultists around hadn’t escaped or been arrested yet. They threw themselves at Jeremiah, and Selina kicked one of them in face and elbowed another while Jeremiah was pushing away another. She was fighting over another attacked when her side was violently hit and she slammed against a table. A big man brutally pinned her down against it. He had a knife. She tried to kick him, but to no avail. He raised the knife. She saw herself dead in a flash.

 

A shot echoed and the man’s body jolted. Blood splashed out of his skull and before he could fell, someone violently shoved him away. Alfred helped Selina on her feet, and she couldn’t help but grip his sleeve more tightly than she wished. He briefly pressed her back, she had almost been killed, and though she was tough, she was still a kid.

 

“You’re alright?” Asked he.

 

“Yeah.” Even her voice was quivering.

 

She saw Hilliger helping Jeremiah as well. Cops and soldiers were arresting the last criminals and inmates. But where was Jerome? “He took Bruce away! They went that way.”

 

She went to stand and show him but one soldier stopped her. She was a civilian, and she had to be safely evacuated. Alfred went right behind Bullock and Jim when one inmate jumped on him and tried to seize his gun. The two men struggled against each other, Alfred was trained, but the other was big and younger.

 

Jerome pushed the button for the lowest floor. Bruce bit Jerome’s arm, making him wince, but to no avail and didn’t manage to free himself from his hold in time. He only had the time to see Jim and Harvey before the doors closed on them. Gordon roared in frustration and he and Harvey ran through the stairs instead. They would find him!

 

“Lee! Watch for the elevator, tell me at which floor Jerome will exit!”

 

“ _Okay, I’m watching that out_.”

 

Jerome smirked. He knew a way out, from the underground parts, there was an access to the sewers. He would go that way. That was undoubtedly the best way out. Then…He would find a place, an isolated one where he would lock up Bruce and keep him away. But dammit, couldn’t he stop struggling!

 

Bruce was boiling with rage. It was ending today! He seized Jerome’s wrist and maintained the knife as far as possible from his neck. Jerome tried to push against his hold but the boy sent his skull back right in Jerome’s nose. The redhead yelped and his grip lessened. Bruce struggled even harder, desperate, he struggled in spite of the pain and the exhaustion. Still, Jerome wouldn’t let go. Bruce’s foot hit the doors and he violently pushed on his leg, sending Jerome against the metallic wall. A yelp invaded his ear and he bit Jerome again. Yet, even though he tasted the blood, it didn’t make the redhead go.

 

He sent his skull back again, harder. This time, the redhead’s hold lessened and Bruce struggled away from him, but in the small space, there wasn’t any escape. Jerome laughed darkly:

 

“Look at him! The unbreakable little hero! Come on!”

 

Bruce growled at him and attacked again. His whole body was in pain but it didn’t matter right now. That was the last time! He wouldn’t take anymore! He remembered the rain drops and felt the same energy which invaded him on the roof. He lunged at Jerome again and kicked him in the stomach. He tried to punch him, but Jerome dodged and punched him as well. The boy landed against the doors and Jerome saw they had reached their floor. He threw himself at Bruce and pushed him hard as the door opened. The boy was already loosing balance and when Jerome threw himself at him, he fell.

 

Air left his lungs as his back crashed on the floor while Jerome’s body crashed over his. The pain in his head made him yelp and his vision spun and blurred for a short moment. The redhead pinned his wrists down and gave him a fiery glare.

 

“You’re not escaping! Bomb or not, you’re not going anywhere!”

 

Bruce tried to trash away to struggle, but Jerome held him down. He leaned closer to the boy, their faces merely an inch apart. “You’re. Not. Going. Anywhere. Do you underst…”

 

He was abruptly cut off and he felt unable to move as Bruce’s head suddenly jerked up. Their lips meet brutally. Bruce was…Bruce was kissing him! He was unable to think as he felt Bruce’s lips against his own. A vertigo invaded him as Bruce took his upper lip between his own. It almost made him quiver and then…

 

Pain.

 

Vicious, sharp pain was like a whip lash. Bruce teeth sunk in his lips. In a flash, he saw the boy’s lips covered with Derek’s blood. He jerked away, pushing on his arms and releasing Bruce’s wrists in the process. A punch in Jerome’s face followed and Bruce jerked up, hitting him in the throat. Jerome gagged and lost balance when Bruce punched again violently and pushed him on the side. He instinctively pushed Bruce away from him and the boy started to get up. Jerome got on his feet, laughing like crazy, his bloodied lips making him look even scarier.

 

“Kissing and biting?! You’re one hell of a mess, darling!”

 

They lunged at each other and Bruce dodged Jerome’s next blow. The maniac blocked his next blow and hit him hard in the belly. Bruce huffed and bent over only to be violently thrown against the wall. He violently kicked Jerome in the stomach as he rushed at him. The redhead was pushed away and Bruce threw himself at him, punching him and throwing him against the wall with all his strength. Jerome’s head hit the wall hard and he yelped in pain. He punched Bruce’s side and head-butted him hard. Bruce’s head snapped back and Jerome pushed him away. The redhead seized his arm and twisted it behind his back.

 

“Stop resisting!”

 

The boy sent his skull back again but Jerome’s head recoiled in time. Instead, Bruce elbowed his side hard and tried to push Jerome against the wall once more. He trashed, and kicked and elbowed him again and again. Jerome’s hold lessened when he received another blow by Bruce’s skull and the boy released himself. Jerome grabbed his arm immediately when a form suddenly jumped on the redhead, hitting him hard.

 

Bruce hardly had time to understand what was happening when someone grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from Jerome. Immediately, he wriggled free and lost balance. A vertigo had invaded him, his vision blurred and his feet were suddenly unable to stay on the ground. Big hands caught him gently by the shoulders again before he could hit the ground and made him sit down smoothly against the wall.

 

“Hey! It’s alright, it’s us.”

 

Bruce was surprised to see Bullock kneeling at his side. Harvey released him as Bruce relaxed a bit. He then saw Jim Gordon handcuffing a hardly conscious Jerome. Police officers and soldiers came in as well, guns pointed, but Jerome was hardly conscious anyway. Bullock took a look at the kid and couldn’t help but felt sickened a bit. He had been through hell, it was obvious. He had cuts and bruises, he was pale and his body was trembling.

 

“We finally got him! You’re okay? Are you wounded?”

 

The boy didn’t answer, looking only at Jerome. Harvey remembered how the boy had risked his life in order to save him, letting Jerome and his psychos throwing knives at him…Guilt washed through him again. Thank God, he was alive. He hesitated to touch him, he feared to just hurt him furthermore, though he was usually known to be brutish, right now he was more careful than he had been in a long time. Jim let the soldiers handle the crazy teen, went to Bruce and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. It took Bruce out of his trance-like state.

 

“It’s okay, it’s over. We’ll get you out of here, okay? Can you walk?”

 

The boy just nodded. The two men helped him to get up; Harvey showed an unusual gentleness, but when the cop’s hand went on his arm, Bruce winced in pain. “Bruce, is something wrong? It’s broken?” Jim asked with worry.

 

“No…”

 

He lifted the sleeve enough for them to see the staples: “Fucking psychos,” Bullock growled. “Come on, you’re a tough one, are you? I definitely know something about it!”

 

Bruce’s legs were trembling, maybe it was the aftermath, maybe the adrenaline leaving his veins, but his legs were trembling and his vision was spinning. Both cops reacted and made him sit down again.

 

“Okay, forget that, we’ll call the medical team, you can’t walk.”

 

He couldn’t help but look at Jerome who was being dragged away. It was over…Yet he couldn’t help but feel sad. A flash came in his mind: the two of them playing with water and going into the mirror house. Back then, they were playing like innocent, normal kids. Now, Jerome was hardly conscious, cops were taking him away…He felt some tears prickling his eyes. Why?! His friend really died, there was nothing left of the boy he once met.

 

“Bruce, are you okay? Stay conscious, alright?” Jim’s voice was soft and he was also worried.

 

Those words almost startled him. Did he really think he was about to faint? He looked at Gordon and realized how tired he was. No wonder he thought he was going to vanish. Then it came to his mind: Where were Jeremiah and Selina?! And Dr Thompkins?

 

“My friends…”

 

“We found Miss Kyle and Jeremiah, they’re safe,” Gordon declared as they got out. “He defused the bomb, you know? There are no threats anymore…”

 

“Bruce!”

 

Alfred’s voice felt almost unreal. Bruce saw his guardian standing there, a few feet away from them. He was hugging the boy in no time, and Bruce just buried his face in the man’s chest while gripping his shoulders tightly. Relief washed over both of them.  

 

“I was so worried about you,” Alfred said gently, gripping the boy so tightly that anyone trying to take Bruce away would have to do it over his dead body. Although it hurt, Bruce allowed him to hug him tight. He was in pain anyway, it didn’t matter much. “You don’t imagine how much!”

 

Bruce didn’t answer anything. The words were all mixed up in his throat, so much he felt it tighten. The emotions were so overwhelming that his brain felt like he couldn’t handle it anymore. He did the only thing he could: he started to sob in Alfred’s chest, the tears he had fought against finally coming out. His guardian stroked his head reassuringly.

 

“It’s alright, it’s alright, you’re safe, now. It’s all over, we’re going home.”

 

Weirdly, hearing that for his guardian made him realize it as true: he was _really_ going home. This was really over. And…He won.

 

He won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Finally Bruce is free! I must say this held some emotion for me, I really loved writing this fic and knowing this is the end is kinda weird. I didn’t even think it would be that long! There is another chapter, plus an epilogue coming. 
> 
> As usual, don’t hesitate to leave reviews, it’s always great to know what you think.


	21. The Curtain Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people! The last chapter before the epilogue! I included a little Past moment, it will be the last one. Enjoy!

**Past**

 

Seeing Jerome wounded wasn’t such a surprise anymore for Bruce. And seeing Bruce bruised wasn’t such a surprise anymore for Jerome. The boy wasn’t mistreated but he was training a lot at home. Hell, they would hurt each other whenever they would spare for fun. Yet, seeing Jerome bruised never left Bruce indifferent.

 

This day, when he tapped at the door of his caravan, Jerome just told him to enter and Bruce saw him sitting and cleaning off blood from his arm. Bruce was alarmed at this sight. The cut was bleeding a lot and Bruce went to him immediately.

 

“What happened?”

 

“A knife.”

 

Bruce rolled his eyes. He knew Jerome wouldn’t tell him, but he suspected his uncle. They were alone in the caravan and Bruce was relieved for that. Even Jeremiah’s presence could have been a bad thing in that case. He took the pads and gauze and before Jerome could do anything, he started to take care of his arm.

 

It stunned Jerome a bit. “What are you doing?”

 

“Helping you,” Bruce simply stated. Jerome watched with some kind of weird fascination as the young boy applied the pads and gauze carefully.

 

“You know I can do it myself. I’m used to.”

 

“I’m here, I might as well help you.”

 

Jerome titled his head and saw a slight bruise on the boy’s jaw. “Did you do that while training?”

 

“No. A kid wanted to play tough and tried to pick up on me. You should see him, though!”

 

Jerome chuckled. He knew Bruce wasn’t lying. He had seen him fight, after all. Bruce was done with his arm and looked up at him. Jerome moved his arm. It wasn’t hurting so much anymore.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You really won’t tell me who did that?”

 

“It doesn’t matter, Bruce. Don’t worry so much!…You know, there is something I wanted to ask you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“You remember when I told you I wanted to be a showman. I want that because it’s me, what I really am inside, but…What do you want to be? Will you really be just…Head of Wayne Enterprises?”

 

This surprised Bruce. “Well…I’m still thinking of it. I will have to take care of Wayne Enterprises, at least keep an eye on it. But…I don’t know, there are other options, my dad was a doctor, you know.”

 

Jerome was strangely not surprised and yet he hoped Bruce wouldn’t do that. “You shouldn’t be a doctor.”

 

Bruce huffed: “Why? Didn’t I patch you well?”

 

“Nah! I’m just sayin’ that it’s not your path. No, you need something…Spicier.”

 

Even though he didn’t expect it, Bruce suddenly started to clean another cut, a more superficial one which Jerome didn’t take care of. “Why that sudden interest for my future career?”

 

Although he didn’t like the word ‘career’, Jerome didn’t say anything. He still watched Bruce taking care of him. Something weird sparked in him as Bruce did that: softeness. He would rarely feel that, but seeing Bruce genuinely caring was enough. It would still surprise him at times.

 

“I just don’t want you to go the easy way, the one which is handed. Being CEO of Wayne Enterprises, that’s not for you. You know, the fact society designed you to do that doesn’t mean you should conform to it.”

 

Looking up at him, Bruce simply answered: “Don’t worry. I’ll find what I should do. And…I’m sure we’ll be here for each other.”

 

Jerome smiled, truly touched at this. Bruce couldn’t help but squeeze his arm a bit, wanting to show him he meant it. For the very first time, they could feel what it really was like to have a sibling.

 

**Present:**

 

Lying in the hospital bed, Bruce could hardly keep his eyes open, but he couldn’t find any sleep either. He was thinking of that day, when he helped Jerome with his wounds. It could have been a sweet memory, but a few days after, Bruce had seen Jerome beat Jeremiah. Had someone told him things would turn out like they did now, he would have never believed it. But it happened. Jerome was arrested and he was in a hospital bed. Alfred was at his side.

 

“You need to sleep,” his guardian whispered gently.

 

“I can’t, not right now.”

 

They heard the door open slightly and they saw Gordon coming in. The detective smiled to them but in reality, he couldn’t help but be shocked. The sight of Bruce in this hospital bed, with bruises, cuts, bandages around his arm and looking so tired…That was hard to stand. His eyes also spotted the marks around his wrists made by ropes each time he was tied. They truly made the kid go through hard shit.

 

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

 

“Tired.”

 

“I tell him he should sleep but he won’t,” Alfred explained, though he could understand why Bruce didn’t want to sleep now.

 

“I can leave if you want.”

 

“No, it’s okay if you stay.”

 

He sat at the other side of the bed and spoke gently: “You know I’ll eventually have to ask you a few questions about what happened. We don’t have to do it now, yet if there are some things you want to talk about, I’m here. And maybe it would be better if you speak soon.”

 

Bruce didn’t say anything at first; once again, there were many things he wanted to say, and yet he couldn’t put his thought in a right order. The events passed through his head in a blur and he found himself saying: “He killed people before me, they all did…and at times there was nothing I could do. He made me watch a man burn…” He took a big breath.

 

“Can you tell us what happened?” Asked Gordon gently

 

He told them about Uncle Zack, everything, the time he warned him against Jerome, the day he hit him, and he spoke of his final moments. His guardian listened, obviously upset; he never told Alfred about Zack being violent. Bruce took a deep breath: “I don’t know what I should have done…I didn’t want to do that, there were children hostage but I…” He was at loss of words.

 

“Bruce, hey, it’s not your fault. You already saved those kids, they went back with their parents thanks to you. Look, I didn’t manage to save all of the people they attacked, would you say I’m at fault?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then don’t start to blame yourself. You’re still a kid, and even adults have their limits. Anyway, Jerome would have killed his uncle, Zack was condemned.”

 

Bruce nodded, knowing he was right, yet he couldn’t help but feel guilt and there was a deeper reason for that: “The worst is, I hardly felt sorry for Zack. Even when I still think about it…I can’t help but feel like…”

 

“Like Jerome had the right to get his revenge?”

 

The boy nodded: “I know no one deserve this, I know it. But Jerome didn’t deserve what he went through as a kid either! I’m pretty sure he wasn’t always a monster. He became one and I’m sure it’s because of them…Whenever he was with me, he was different, at least, until he snapped.”

 

Gordon didn’t know whether Bruce was right or not, but the abuse certainly didn’t help indeed. He looked at the bruises on the boy’s neck. “Is Jerome the one who did that? Or his followers?”

 

“Jerome. He was angry after I saved Jeremiah, he was really mad at me. His followers wouldn’t really dare to hurt me, unless they were asked by him.”

 

Speaking of that, Jim remembered what Laura told them. “Bruce, listen…There is something else, and I’ll ask you to be completely honest about it. We interrogated a girl named Laura. She seemed to like you in her own way.” Bruce nodded and Gordon went on: “The way she spoke, she told us some…alarming things. She told us that…that Jerome might have feelings for you. She also spoke of a man named Derek.” This was never easy to formulate. “Bruce, I have to know if you went through other kind of abuse.”

 

“Is that necessary?” Alfred blurted. “He is exhausted!”

 

“The more he waits, the harder it will be.”

 

“You mean, like rape?” Asked Bruce

 

The fact he stated that with no real difficulty reassured Gordon a bit. A rape victim would have more difficulty to speak about that.

 

“It didn’t happen, but…One of his men went to me one evening and I don’t know what he would have done, but I managed to defend myself and Jerome killed him.” Bruce swallowed uneasily, Gordon was right, he had to let that out now: “They were all partying, I was lying down somewhere and my hands were tied. That guy went to me and he started to…” He shifted a bit, obviously uneasy. “He pinned me down.”

 

“What else?”

 

“He was mad at me because I stopped him from killing people and raping a girl. I struggled, but…” He gulped in disgust. That was the most difficult part to speak about. “He tried to kiss me, so I bit him. I…I actually…I tore his lip off…” He remembered the taste of blood in his mouth and almost gagged. “I think it was Laura who called Jerome. I was kinda happy to see him at that moment. He told the guy he had no right to touch me and he killed him before everyone. To set an exemple.”

 

Alfred’s grip on his hand was almost painful, yet Bruce didn’t wish him to let go. He couldn’t look at him however, what he spoke about was so embarrassing. Yet somehow, it felt good too, as if he was getting rid of something.

 

“So it was really you who tore off his lip?” Bruce nodded. “We’ll have to make you pass through some exams, just to check out. How did you feel back then?”

 

“I didn’t think at all. I just did it. After that, I was just…I couldn’t get rid of the taste.”

 

Gordon bit his lips, he didn’t want to do this, but he had to: “What about Jerome? Did he ever try something? I won’t ask you anything else after that.”

 

Bruce mustered his courage. When Alfred would learn that, he would be hurt. Yet he couldn’t hid the truth. He looked at Gordon and finally spoke: “He tried to kiss me once. It was a long time ago; before killing his mother and capturing me.”

 

“When did that happen?” Asked Alfred, horrified. As Bruce explained what happened that day, his guardian’s guilt only rose. _How couldn’t I see that_? “You never told me,” Alfred murmured.

 

“I…I couldn’t.” Bruce knew he just hurt his guardian, but he couldn’t hide that truth from him anymore. He went on: “After he took me away, it was different…There were moments I wasn’t sure, but…He would look at me or touch me in ways which made me uneasy. It was just ruffling my hair though, or grabbing my shoulders or talking closely. Thing is…It wasn’t occasional, it was very often. There were also a few times I thought he was about to kiss me, but he didn’t.”

 

“There is really nothing else?”

 

“No. I assure you, you can ask him, he wouldn’t bother hiding it. We spoke about it once. He said it was optional…having me like this. That in the end all that mattered was having me in his life, no matter how. I think he meant it, because…Hum…Jerome, he got no affection, as a kid; Jeremiah didn’t know how to handle him and the rest of the family was violent. I think he simply mixed up everything. Maybe he doesn’t know how to categorize feelings.”

 

“He’s obsessed with you…It could be confusing for him.”

 

This would be indeed the case, Bruce was the only one he felt love for, or at least the twisted kind of love someone like Jerome could feel. Gordon couldn’t help but feel that in some way, Bruce did understand Jerome more than he ought to. The boy took a deep breath and his cheeks were redder with embarrassment.

 

“Also…Before you came to rescue me…I…I did something…”

 

He told about their fight in the elevator, how biting Jerome had been ineffective. He told them how the redhead had been lying over him after he fell down. And he told them how he kissed him.

 

“It was brief. But biting him didn’t work, and I had to make sure that this time, he would really be…I don’t know how to explain.”

 

Although he was unsettled, Jim didn’t show anything. As weird as it was, he understood: “You wanted to throw him off guard before attacking again.”

 

He nodded, looking only at the detective, not daring to look at his guardian. “It worked, I freed myself like that.” Jim told him it was indeed difficult to take control again when you were pinned down by an adversary, especially a bigger one. Even though he was a bit weirded out, he didn’t want Bruce to feel guilty at all. Maybe he would have to ask Lee about it.

 

Alfred shifted a bit and finally spoke: “You know, a soldier of my regiment did something like that too, once. I won’t tell you the whole thing, but you wouldn’t be the first to do that.”

 

A nurse entered and went to the bed: “Mr Wayne, it’s time for you to get some rest. I’m gonna give you a sedative and you should be able to sleep.” He tensed when he saw her preparing a syringe. “No.”

 

They looked at him questioningly. “Are you afraid of needles?” Asked she

 

He shook his head: “I want to sleep normally, I don’t want to be drugged.”

 

“It would help you…Would you rather have a pill?”

 

The boy shook his head again. The nurse bit her lip: “Alright, try to get some sleep, I’ll check up on you later.”

 

After her departure, Jim leaned a bit closer to him. “What’s wrong?”

 

He told them about the substance Jerome gave him after he saved Jeremiah and before invading Arkham. He didn’t tell them how he woke up in a bath-tub and got drowned several times. He said enough for now. He sighed and his eyes started to close, and Gordon saw he was really tired.

 

“Is there anything else you want to talk about right now? Or do you want to talk tomorrow?”

 

“Maybe I’ll try to sleep,” he mumbled.

 

“Okay...Before, I leave, though, I have to tell you that you did really great. Not that I would encourage you to fight a psycho again, but overall, you handled the situation exceptionally well, much better than some adults would have. Hell, some cops wouldn’t have done that well, I’m sure. There are people who owe you their lives. Remember that, okay?”

 

Grinning a bit, Bruce nodded, not able to find the words at this. Jim was right, he didn’t save everyone, but at least he saved some of them. Gordon exited the room and went to find Lee again. Alfred seemed distraught.

 

“It’s all my fault.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I brought you to that circus. And it was me who told you to run home. If I hadn’t…”

 

“I’m the one who approached Jerome. I could have also refused to meet him the next day. I could have simply realized what he was before, or gave him more help…”

 

“Bruce, there is nothing you could have done to help him. He is what he is.”

 

“Would he have turned better in a nice family?”

 

“…It’s hard to say. Maybe it would have been better, but I can’t say for sure. It’s useless to wonder now. You really need to sleep, you look like you’re about to faint. At least try to close your eyes.”

 

The boy obeyed and even though he mumbled something about not being able to sleep, he was dozing soon. Alfred watched him with a mix of affection and sadness. He was alive, but this would leave scars on him, and not just physical. Alfred knew it was impossible to erase that, but maybe, maybe he could teach his boy to live with it. Eventually, he felt his eyes closing as well.

 

As he walked away from Bruce’s room, Jim soon found himself smiling, as he saw Lee sitting on a chair in the corridor. She was wearing sleepers lend by the hospital. Once Bruce had been safe, he had found her and Nygma in the security room. He had been horrified at Nygma’s sight, but also relieved to see they were both alive. The sight of her bare feet had been weirdly shocking to him. It wasn’t much though, and he had seen way worse things, and yet...

 

He sat at her side and stroked her hair while she leaned close to him. “I’ll take you to do some shopping,” he promised. “I’ll buy you new shoes.”

 

“You don’t have to do that,” she murmured, smiling hugely.

 

“You sure?”

 

She shrugged slightly, titling her head in a way which always made him melt a bit. “Well I surely don’t mind if you do.”

 

He chuckled and they kissed before cuddling a bit. It was good to hold her, to know she was safe. “You know, after all that, maybe you should speak to Bruce Wayne? He will need a psychologist, but I know him, he could refuse one. Maybe he would be open to you, though. He told me something which will probably work him up.”

 

He told her about the kiss and Lee listened carefully. “You know, considering everything we know, there probably was a lot of tension going on between them, and Jerome lying over him only intensified it. Bruce surely felt it unconsciously and was influenced, even though he didn’t realize it. He seems to understand a lot, but not enough either and it’s normal at such a young age.”

 

He understood what she meant. He stroked her back. “Are _you_ feeling okay? You told me they wanted to give you electroshocks.”

 

“Laura said she wanted her own work of arts. Maybe I shouldn’t have participated to that interrogation.”

 

“You helped me out, and it’s thank to that we got the mole. Lee, you did something dangerous but we all had to put ourselves in danger, that situation wasn’t normal. And who knows? Maybe they would have just killed you if she hadn’t been interested in you in some way. And in the end, hadn’t you been in there, Nygma would have died and you wouldn’t have been able to help us out.”

 

That was true…In the end, things didn’t turn out so bad. Footsteps echoed and they saw Kristin Kringle coming in their direction.

 

“How is Ed?”

 

“They took off his nails…The doctors are taking care of him, he is under a sedative, completely asleep.” She said in a quivering voice. “He told me you helped him,” she stated to Lee before hugging her. “Thank you.”

 

Lee returned the hug. “It’s alright. He’ll handle it, he was really brave as well.”

 

Yet…When she thought about what happened. Something in Ed had been weird. Maybe she was wrong, maybe he had simply acted like that because the events had been overwhelming, but still, something nagged her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jim.

 

“Maybe we should go and visit Essen. Harvey is with her, but maybe she would be happy to see us.”

 

“My, she’ll be a bit crowded with the four of us,” Kristin pointed out.

 

“Well, it will remind her of GCPD,” Lee pointed out wittingly.

 

The three chuckled at this and went to Sarah’s room, allowing themselves some friendly time before returning to the mess left by the psychos.

 

**O o O**

 

The next morning, the medias were already talking about the arrest of Jerome Valeska and probably all Gotham was breathing again. Jeremiah was certainly no exception. He was still sore, but hell, he was alive and that was almost unbelievable.

 

“Hey.”

 

He turned around at that sound and saw Selina coming toward his bed. He was kinda happy to see her. Although she had rubbed him the wrong way at first, he had to admit she wasn’t _only_ an annoying girl.

 

“You look good,” he genuinely told her.

 

“Would you believe that, the doctors still wanted to keep me, just in case. I mean, as if I was going to vanish for some bruises.”

 

“Yeah, even I will be able to go back home today I think. I’m pretty impatient to do so, I’m a bit tired of them giving me weird looks.”

 

“I guess so, it kinda suck. And you haven’t been home since days. Where do you even live?”

 

“I’m mostly living at the private school, and for the rest of the year, I live in a foster family. I don’t think school will be easy after what happened, but well…”

 

She could guess that foster family was probably not the best, since they weren’t even here.

 

“I could visit you at times. Putting some mess in a private school could be funny. Is there stuff to steal?”

 

“Plenty. And there are some students who I have to get back to, so that would be killing two birds with one stone.”

 

That could be good indeed! They discussed a bit more, and she left, wanting to visit someone else. In the corridor, she learned that a part of the cops had left the place. Maybe she would take time to steal some food first.

 

While Selina was busy in hospital, Lee, Harvey and Jim were settling back to GCPD. Kristin stayed behind to give both Essen and Nygma some news and support. The place was still a mess and they could see how much their ranks had diminished. Some cops from other towns and cities would be sent as reinforcement until they managed to find new recruits. Hilliger would stay longer as well in order to help track the last cultists who could have escaped. They were starting to clean and repair the place and it felt like a real exorcism.

 

“I don’t know about you, but I hope Essen will be better soon,” Gordon murmured. The woman had been happy to learn they finally got Valeska, but also devastated knowing the GCPD had been attacked again.

 

“It’s not the same without her. She is a good leader. Also…Don’t ever tell him, but I’m almost missing Nygma already.”

 

Jim looked at him with wide eyes and a little smile. Harvey huffed. “Shut up already. His dorkiness is just familiar, that’s all. But well, I guess he’ll need time too.”

 

“He will. I wished I had got my hands on the bastards who did that to him. But Lee and he took care of that.”

 

“Yeah, me too. I’m not super fond of him but he is a colleague,” Bullock admitted.

 

Jim nodded slowly. “I’m happy you made it out alive. I didn’t want to tell you back then, but I was really worried when you got captured,” Gordon admitted.

 

It was touching but awkward. “You’re a freaking boy scout, has anyone ever told you that?” This made Jim chuckle a bit. “Come on, I know you were worried, no need to get sappy, we still have work.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right; we have to interrogate Jerome,” Jim pointed out.

 

“Want to go first?”

 

“I have the feeling he’ll be more talkative with me.”

 

Harvey had to admit he was right, Jerome enjoyed teasing Gordon. “I’ll watch the two of you.”

 

Jim entered the interrogation room to see the psycho battered. He had even more bruises than Bruce now, probably a gift from some cops, and it didn’t bother Jim in the slightest. If anything, he had to hold himself back from hitting him as well. After all, he had to stay conscious. Jerome’s lip twitched.

 

“Detective Gordon. I’m really happy to see you!” His tone was giving another impression.

 

“I can’t say it’s mutual.”

 

“You and me, in the interrogation room…It reminds me of that day, when you unmasked me. Now it’s all repeating itself. Only your pretty girlfriend is missing. Is she alive?”

 

Jim wouldn’t answer; he didn’t want to talk about Lee with him. “You’ll be transferred in the military penitentiary, until the damages in Arkham Asylum are repaired. You’re accused of kidnapping, murders...”

 

“Who? Me? It can’t be true!”

 

“Why did you kill those people?”

 

“Please, detective, we both know why I did it. I’m crazy and I like to kill, that’s all! Those people were nothing to me. They were nameless to me. Let’s get to the real point, the one we both want to talk about. How are Jeremiah and Bruce? Where are they?”

 

“Do you really think I’ll tell you?”

 

“Ow, come on! Did you speak to Bruce? I don’t know if you would bother about my brother, but you would definitely visit Bruce. What did he tell you?”

 

“Well, according to his testimony and what some of your cultists said, you were possessive of him. Protective in some ways.”

 

“Of course I am! Bruce is mine, I wouldn’t let the others play with him like they did with other people. He is special.”

 

“How is he special?”

 

“Well…He means something to me. Not only because he was the first one to care about me, but because he gives an edge to things. He makes me thrill…You can’t have just fun, you need challenges in your life. He is the most interesting challenge I got.”

 

“He told us you tried to kiss him when he was twelve. Are you usually attracted to twelve years old?”

 

Jerome made a grunt: “That sounds a bit disgusting, you know. I was fifteen when I did that, that’s merely three years apart. And no, I don’t like twelve years-old boys. It’s Bruce I want, but that’s because of who he is. I’ll probably still feel attraction for him in ten years, or in twenty, when we’ll be both grown men. But it’s not sure we’ll turn to grown men.”

 

He was actually surprised Bruce dared to talk about that. Considering how he had been affected by it, Jerome never thought he would even be able to mention it. Somehow, it was satisfying to know they knew.

 

“Did you or any other of your cultists sexually abuse him?”

 

Jerome let out a disbelieving laugh: “Is that what he told you?!”

 

“Just answer the question.”

 

“Oh Jim, please! That’s not the kind of guy I am. Anyway I can guarantee you that I had plenty of willing people among the cultists. It doesn’t even matter that much if I don’t have him. One guy tried to molest him and I killed him; didn’t he tell you that? I protected him! All that matter to me, is to keep him. But now thanks to you, Jeremiah is the one who’ll have him.”

 

“Bruce isn’t a possession.” He had a hard time controlling himself.

 

“He isn’t a thing, if that’s what you mean. He is still mine. I wanted him very soon, have you ever looked at someone and thought: ‘I want that one’? I did, and I’m the kind who takes what he wants.”

 

The worst was, he kinda did, the first time he saw Lee. Back then, he was still grieving over the end of his relationship with Barbara, but when he saw her, that’s when he really started to stop thinking about his ex. But this wasn’t the same, he wouldn’t have hurt Lee.

 

“Let’s talk about Galavan now.”

 

Jerome rolled his eyes. That man wasn’t interesting anymore to him. What mattered was Bruce. What was he doing right now? What was he thinking? He would have given a lot to know.

 

**O o O**

 

In General Hospital Bruce woke up in a startle. He expected to see Jerome, maybe feel his arms around him; he expected to hear crazy laughters and shouts. Hell, he expected to be sleeping on the ground and maybe see a severed head on the breakfast table. It took him a few moments to understand where he was. Relief washed through him as he remembered what happened. The bomb was defused and Jerome had been arrested.

 

He saw Alfred sleeping in the chair next to his bed and couldn’t help but think it was probably very uncomfortable. He didn’t try to wake him up, he was probably exhausted. He was hungry, he looked at the time, it was morning. Maybe they would give him breakfast soon. He was feeling a better already, his body was still very sore, his head still ached, but at least he was rested and safe. Footsteps echoed and he expected to see a nurse or a doctor. He was surprised at the person he saw.

 

“Selina?”

 

He smiled and tried to prop himself a bit. She was still wearing her usual clothes, and she looked actually fine, apart from a small bruise. She also smiled at him.

 

“Hey. You don’t look as terrible as I expected. But you still look terrible.”

 

He chuckled a bit at that. She sat at the other side of the bed. “I heard you beat up Jerome?”

 

“Yeah, well, we were fighting when they arrived. Not sure who would have beaten who, but I didn’t want to let him go.”

 

“I said it many times, but you’re a crazy kid.”

 

“The same could be said about you, you know?”

 

She huffed and rolled her eyes in amusement before getting a bit more serious. “How are you?”

 

“I guess it could be worse. I don’t know, it’s weird, I have a hard time realizing it’s all over.”

 

“Yeah, I guess I get what you mean. Jeremiah is okay, just a bit banged up, but he’ll get over it.”

 

Jeremiah…He thought of what happened in Arkham and how he admitted lying. He had pretended all that time that Jerome tried to put his bed on fire…He would have to speak to him.

 

“Selina, I’m happy you’re alright. I was worried about you.”

 

“You were worried about everyone.”

 

“It wasn’t the same.”

 

Her expression changed a bit, softening. “Well…I was worried about you too.” His smile grew at this. It wasn’t often she would admit something like that. She looked embarrassed at that confession and her eyes fell on Alfred who was still sleeping.

 

“He saved my life you know. I will never tell him, but I’m really grateful. Don’t tell him I said that.”

 

“I will tell him, you know that.”

 

“You bastard!”

 

They laughed softly, trying not to wake the sleeping man. The sound slowly died and they just looked at each other in the eyes. Silently, Selina leaned over him. He propped himself up a bit again. As they kissed, both of them felt electricity running through them. At this moment, they were feeling alive, and it was sweet to feel alive without violence and danger. His hand went to her hair, stroking gently. When they parted, she was blushing a bit, he noticed that.

 

She stood up. “Well…Better go and see Ivy. She is still taking care of her…Plants and stuff. I’ll see you again.”

 

“Does this mean we’re…together?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

With that she left. He was still smiling. How one could be so brave but so shy as well whenever it came to such things? He promised himself he would see her again as soon as he got out of that hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of dialogues, I know, but well, it’s kinda mandatory for that kind of chapter. Only the epilogue left, it should be out soon, at least I think so. I can’t tell whether it will be longer. 
> 
> Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think!


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here is the epilogue! Wow, the very last chapter, feels so weird! Enjoy!

Two weeks had passed since Jerome had been arrested and Bruce had been finally freed. This day was quite sunny, and the afternoon was just beginning. Gotham was getting back on trails. Even Arkham Asylum was retrieving its ‘colors’. And from his cell, Jerome could see some sunrays of that beautiful day. It was a beautiful day for him as well, but not because of the sun, no. He just had his load of fun.

 

After the military penitentiary, he had been transferred back in Arkham, and if several employees had given him a beating (a laughable one), he was now very popular among the inmates. That day, in the common room, he had convinced two guys to fight each other and had also made another patient open their wrist to fill a little bottle with their blood. The guards arrived before the bottle could be completely filled, but it didn’t matter. Jerome had enough blood for his project, and the guards hadn’t been able to take the bottle back from him.

 

After that, he had returned to his ‘room’ and started his little work of art. He was pretty sure that another asylum would have put him in solitary confinement, but the director apparently insisted he should be free to move around. He didn’t know why, but he was happy of it. Jerome looked at his work and smirked. It was great. At least now, he had given that cell a bit of his own personality. Finally, maybe he wouldn’t be that bored in Arkham.

 

He had enjoyed toying with the other lunatics, but it was only a beggining. Jerome didn’t only wnt fun anymore, he wanted to grow. Bruce…He taught him a lot. In a flash, he remembered that night, when he had found Bruce on the roof. He had put the kid through hell, and after some hours, he had found him like anew. Bruce had grown stronger because of what happened, he had learned. He remembered that story he made with that character, Jack. Bruce had told him that Jack needed someone able to stop him, an enemy, otherwise there would be no edge. He was right. He once told one of his followers that great villains wouldn’t back away from challenges. Well, Bruce was his challenge, and he would continue to be.

 

He could have escaped the GCPD, hell, he would have been able to murder Jeremiah hadn’t it been for the kid! The cops…They were a joke. Arkham’s security? A bigger joke! But Bruce…Bruce was the real deal. Bruce and Jeremiah. He would make plans for both of them, definitely.

 

So he had decided he would learn and grow too. He decided he would beat Jeremiah on his own territory. It would take some time to learn to be a good manipulator like his brother, but he would learn. Arkham would be his training field, and he would come out even stronger than before.

 

One thing started to become clear as he was thinking about all that: he would try to make Bruce come to his side again. And if he failed, if he failed to turn Bruce into his brother or lover, well, Jerome would be the monster in his life. He would be his nightmare, he wouldn’t give him the choice. And maybe one day, finally, Bruce would yield. He laughed, laughed crazily, letting it go like an endless poison. It was the only thing that could shut the pain, aside from Bruce’s presence.

 

The door opened and his laughter lessened without dying. Jerome saw Doctor Strange entering. The man whistled softly at the sight of the room. “Well, that’s something we’ll have to talk about.”

 

He looked at the walls which used to be of an old grayish white, stained by the time. Well, that color was still here, but under fresh, almost bright red words. Words written with blood, Strange had no doubts about that. He took a minute to look at this. There were a lot of things written, mostly names. Red HAHAHA were adorning several parts of the room, he also saw the words MINE, MINE, ALL MINE, written in capital letter, and the name of Gotham City as well. He sighted the names of Jim Gordon, Lee, Alfred and a Selina was also among those. But those names were written in smaller letters, they obviously didn’t mean much. No.

 

Jeremiah. That name was much more present, written several times over the walls, along with ‘brother dear’ or ‘brother mine’, ‘dead brother’.

 

But still, that wasn’t the biggest. BRUCE. That was the name which had been repeatedly written over the walls again and again, obsessively, much more numerous than any other. Sometimes, that name would come with a little sentence: ‘See you soon, Bruce’, ‘I’ll get Bruce’.

 

“You didn’t do that with your own blood, I take? I was told about what you did.”

 

“I had to add some of mine, but well, I must say I didn’t have to take much.”

 

“We’ll also have to talk about that incident I take.”

 

“We? I don’t remember you taking so many patients personally.”

 

Approaching casually, Strange readjusted his glasses, still looking down at the teen with glee. “You’re an interesting case, Mr Valeska.”

 

Strangely enough, the man seemed genuine. And the sight of the room seemed to fascinate him much more than scare him. Maybe he would be a less boring shrink than the others.

 

“Deal, I’ll take you as my doctor,” Jerome declared, as if he had the choice. “But at one condition.”

 

“Which one?”

 

“There are some things about the human mind I always wanted to learn.”

 

Doctor Strange hugely smiled. Once again, Jerome was pretty surprised to see his reaction: he looked like a kid about to open a Christmas gift.

 

“Well, constructive activities are always good for the patients.”

 

**O o O**

 

Since he was out of hospital, Bruce got to spend time with Selina. She would never call him her boyfriend but they would kiss quite often and she would come here quite regularly. They were currently hanging around, they climbed up to the manor roof for fun. Now they were sitting on the roof, talking and enjoying the light breeze.

 

“When is you shrink coming?”

 

“In an hour I think. Why? Wanna talk to her?” Asked Bruce.

 

“Are you saying I need a shrink?”

 

“You saw horrible things too.”

 

“I’m fine, Bruce. I saw a lot of horrible things all my life.”

 

“Not many like Jerome Valeska.”

 

She lowered her eyes. That was true. “Well, neither did Gotham, apparently. The News still speak about it. You…You still won’t speak to reporters?”

 

Bruce shook his head. The events had been told through the whole country, and Gotham News would still talk about it a lot. There were still suspicions of some cult going on, but nothing could be certified. The crime wave had lessened a lot, but the police work wasn’t done, they still had to investigate about a lot of cases, search for people who hadn’t resurfaced yet, and deal with the press.

 

Bruce’s subject was still discussed a lot by the media, his situation had leaked and a lot of questions had been asked. Bruce had refused any interviews and even avoided going out. The media knew he had been held against his will and under threats; yet some debated whether or not he got Stockholm Syndrom or not, or if he hurt people willingly. Though a bit reluctantly, both Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins had accepted an interview on TV, and explained why Bruce hadn’t been part of the followers, and if he ever participated, it was against his will. They also had to explain that Bruce’s friendship with Jerome had been broken before he killed his mother.

 

In spite of that, a lot of fake rumors and question surfaced. Bruce had been thankful to know that several people he saved had testified and credited him for helping saving them. The first girl he saved had told her story, and the parents of the children he saved also explained they would have lost their kids if it wasn’t for him. Yet, he was still feeling hurt by all of this. He didn’t like going out anymore, he knew how people would look at him.

 

So instead, he took back his training as soon as he could, and would spend most of his days between that and studying. Alfred had taken him out of school for sometimes and Bruce was happy of it. He wouldn’t have wanted to be among his classmates and handle all their questions. He had too many of his own. With Selina, it was different.

 

“You know, even if I speak, it won’t change much. There will still be rumors. They might even interpret things badly.”

 

“Yeah, I see what you mean.”

 

He titled his head and looked at her more intensely. “You look a bit stressed out.”

 

She hesitated but finally told him: “Well, let’s say that me helping out the cops didn’t give me a very good reputation. At least, not the good kind needed in the streets of Gotham.”

 

“But, you didn’t help the cops against them. It was different.”

 

“Yeah, those psycho were putting everyone’s business at risk. Some people are smart enough to see that, but some think I could snitch them to the cops and all now. Sometimes, I think leaving Gotham for some times would be better, but…” He looked at her, feeling anxious and she went on: “Leaving alone for an unknown place and finding myself in dirty streets which won’t be better than the ones in Gotham…Not the best idea.”

 

“But staying here is starting to be dangerous.”

 

“Gotham streets had always been dangerous.” Selina wasn’t about to tell him, but he was one of her biggest reasons not to leave, that and the fear of the unknown. Otherwise, she really wanted to get away for a while. Feeling a tension she didn’t like, she changed the subject:

 

“Did you and Jeremiah speak?”

 

“Not much.”

 

“You’ve been avoiding each other.”

 

“It’s not really like that. There is just…Something we’ll have to talk about and I guess neither of us are eager to do it.”

 

They had met a few times, and some untold tension had been felt. They continued to discuss until Dr Thompkins’s car arrived; Bruce gave Selina a kiss before leaving. He knew she wouldn’t go and see Lee, she was defiant of shrinks, and Lee was a cop’s girlfriend on top of that.

 

Just like her three previous visits, Alfred was very welcoming to Lee and Bruce sat with more ease than he usually would. He was getting used to the doctor.

 

“Hi, Bruce, how are you today.”

 

“I’m feeling good. Better at least.”

 

He spoke of his training and studies a bit and even a bit of Selina. After this conversation to make him comfortable, they went back to the subject of his captivity. “Last time, I could feel there was something bothering you, when we spoke about your interaction with Jerome. I would like us to talk about that.”

 

He breathed in deeply and told Dr Thompkins how he returned Jerome’s embrace once, after Jerome had put a knife under his throat before taking him in his arms while they laid on the ground. “I don’t know why I did it…I’m…Now that I think about it, I’m really ashamed. At least, when I kissed him, it had a purpose: I wanted to take him off guard; but here…It accomplished nothing.”

 

Lee gently took his hand: “You shouldn’t feel guilty, you know. You were going through something very intense at this moment and Jerome was your friend at a point of your life, and you couldn’t shrug that away. You saw him when he was vulnerable, he allowed you to see the few remains of humanity in him. So it’s natural that you had a human reaction in return.”

 

“I don’t know…Wasn’t it Stockholm Syndrom or something like that?”

 

She shook her head: “You don’t have the same symptoms. In the end you never took his side, you never demonized the authorities and more importantly: you stood up to him. You must remember that you were in a very intense, dangerous and scary situation. You needed a moment of break, and there is nothing more natural and human. No one can keep fighting like that for days without any rest, physical or psychological. It was the right decision as it probably allowed you to regain some strength. Otherwise you could have broken down.”

 

“I don’t know. I kept wondering what people would think, what my parents would think.”

 

“Well, I would have been very proud if my child had been able to accomplish as much as you did. In fact, I’m impressed you were able to show compassion for Jerome at that moment. That’s a sign of high empathy, and emotional intelligence.”

 

“Isn’t it a sign of weakness?”

 

“Compassion isn’t a weakness. That’s what differentiates someone like you from someone like Jerome or the people who turned him into a monster.”

 

This made Bruce think a lot, even after her departure. He was angry, he was freaking angry, against a lot of things. He was angry at the people in the media who would invent stupid stories, he as angry at the people who would look at him with pity, he was angry at Jeremiah for lying, he was angry at himself, and God, he was so angry at Jerome!

 

But what Lee told him just made him understand anger wouldn’t help him, at least, not with everything.

 

Later that day, he went to Jeremiah’s house. His foster parents greeted him nicely, and his friend was genuinely happy to see him. They went to his room, where Jeremiah showed him another scientific project.

 

“It’s a group project but I kinda took the reins,” Jeremiah explained. “I don’t know if she told you, but Selina visited me a bit.”

 

“She did.”

 

They spoke a bit, and eventually, a silence settled between them. The lingering tension was showing again. Bruce finally cut the silence: “I need to ask you something.”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Why did you lie? About him setting your bed on fire?”

 

The question was no surprise for Jeremiah. “Isn’t it obvious? I was scared Bruce, Jerome had hurt me for years, but no one would actually do anything efficient, my mother and my uncle, all they could do was beat him, but Jerome didn’t care, if anything he was growing more resistant to pain. I really had to pretend my life was in danger.”

 

“Why did you lie to me? You could have told me.”

 

“I wasn’t sure. I feared to lose you,” he mumbled, looking down.

 

“Didn’t you trust me?”

 

“Bruce, you don’t realize that I had to hide a lot to people around me all my life, in order to keep my head above the water. You were born to good parents, in a rich, comfortable home. I was born poor, with an uncaring, alcoholic mother, a brutish uncle and a sadistic brother. I was born in a place where being an intellectual is actually a freaking curse! And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this because I want you to feel guilty, that would be stupid.”

 

He sighed and looked up at him again: “I just want you to understand that I didn’t choose a life in which I had to lie or manipulate people...You’re the only one I didn’t want to lie to, but…I didn’t know anything else.”

 

Bruce was stunned. Jeremiah had never spoke so openly about himself, and never revealed so much, he realized. He didn’t say anything else, letting the redhead talk:

 

“You know, Selina asked me once why I thought you were different. It’s because you were considering my intelligence as a truly good thing, and you were smart as well. My world was mostly composed of stupid people who thought they were smart or who didn’t even care. Whenever I was around you, I felt like I was getting away from that world.” Jerome probably felt exactly the same, only in different ways.

 

Bruce was speechless at first. How did he ever manage to represent that much for both twins? “I didn’t think you were considered to be that different, I thought they liked you.”

 

“I was an egg-head but I was obedient, and they saw I could eventually have a good career and bring money. But don’t get it wrong: they didn’t really love me. I was just of potential use and therefore they liked me. Bruce, I assure you, you don’t know how it’s like in that kind of environment. Poverty, stupidity and boredom…Add to that a crappy family and you should understand why I became manipulative.”

 

It was another of those times when Bruce realized how much he had been sheltered. Selina had made him realize that. He had seen it when he had been around Jerome as well. But Jeremiah was showing him that once more and it was quite unexpected. At least, he wasn’t angry anymore, yet he felt like some of trust toward him had been broken. He put a hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder and squeezed lightly.

 

“I understand…I mean, I get that this was more complicated than I thought. Just…Remember you can be honest with me. I’m not seeing you as some mean to get something.”

 

The kid didn’t stay for long, and Jeremiah watched him go away thoughtfully. He wouldn’t lose him; no matter what, he would keep the kid in his life. He had to admit he understood Jerome a bit for once. While he had been furious that Bruce got kidnapped, he could understand that his brother wanted to keep him by any means possible. But he resorted to brutal and thoughtless means. He was smarter than that. When you tamed a wild animal, you had to let them take some space, give them the possibility to retreat so they would come back. He knew it was wrong thinking of Bruce like that, but the boy was a bit of a wild animal.

 

As he was walking away, Bruce realized something: for now, his face was too well-known in Gotham, people had seen his face in the News a lot. He wouldn’t be able to go around freely. But in other places, the media had passed to something else already. An idea started to form in his mind.

 

The next day, Alfred called for Bruce as he came back from the grocery store. The boy didn’t answer. He felt weirdly worried and searched; he went in his room and he spotted something on his bed: a letter.

 

_Dear Alfred,_

_I left home and went to live with Selina in the streets. Please, before doing anything, read this to the very end. I must tell you that it’s something I thought over a lot._

_Everything I went through made me understand a couple of things: to fight evil, you must understand it fully, but I have been sheltered too much for that. I must get out of my shelter if I want to grow fully. That’s why I must go into the streets, the slums. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to fight to fight mugglers or anything, but one day I’ll do something to help the people of Gotham. I don’t know what yet, but this is the best way to figure it out. In the meantime, I have to learn, and I have to live the life other people have to live in._

_As I said, I’ll stay with Selina and she’ll show me the ropes, so don’t worry too much. Don’t look out for us in Gotham though. My face is too public right now to allow me to move freely in that city, and Selina also has to go as well. We’re going to find another place to live. I’ll make sure to contact you from time to time, to tell you how I am. Please, don’t try to contact the police, or find me. I’ll come back to Gotham. If I survived Jerome and his cult, I can perfectly survive this._

_I’m sorry to leave you like that, I don’t want to hurt you. But I can’t stay here anymore, trapped between those walls while everyone looks at me the same way: as a victim._

_Please, don’t try to get me back, and honor my wishes._

_Sincerely,_

_Bruce_

 

Alfred sat down, distraught at this. He had lost his mind! Leaving with that girl to go God know where, and…Wait, he was leaving Gotham? What were they going to do, road-trip through the country?! He first thought of calling the cops, but as he read the letter one more, he hesitated. Bruce was determined and his boy had proved he was tougher than he seemed. If the cops went after him, he would probably not let them catch him. He would run away, and…He wouldn’t trust his guardian anymore, and therefore, there was a risk for Bruce not to come back, at least, not to come back before a very long time. If he broke the boy’s trust in him, he would just push him away, and that would worsen things up.

 

Plus, he could understand; beyond the worry, he could perfectly understand. Bruce was a fighter deep inside, not just a strong person, but someone who needed to get out there and do something. Alfred could perfectly understand that feeling, and why Bruce didn’t want to be trapped anymore. He sighed and thought again and again. He missed him already.

 

**O o O**

 

_Two month later_

 

The sun was settling down on Phoenix, Arizona. The dawn on the desert was as beautiful as always and a nice Spring wind would blow on the poorest streets of the City. A few gunshots echoed, screams even. A few blocks away from that, shouts and sounds of fighting were heard. But everyone would turn blind and deaf at this. They wouldn’t try to do something while two kids were getting attacked by a small bunch of thugs.

 

A local Dinner’s owner, Omar, looked at what was happening, wondering for once, if he shouldn’t try to do something. But then now, it would probably be useless. Anyway…He frowned in disbelief as he saw that the two kids seemed to be handling their own. They were four against two, and yet the kids were doing better. It seemed to be a girl and a boy, the girl kicked one in the chest while the boy hit another in the jaw with a baseball bat before pushing him against another attacker while the girl finished hers by hitting them with an empty bottle. The boy hardly struck one with his bat right in the head, knocking him off. The two kids eventually made them run away. Actually, only two were getting away, the two others were unconscious.

 

Omar was stunned. The kids walked away from the unconscious thugs and went toward the Dinner.

 

A little grim grew on his face: Omar was happy they won. He knew the thugs who had attacked them, and they had never been nothing but useless punks. The two kids entered, it was a boy and a girl indeed. She had curly blond hair and was a bit shorter than the dark-haired boy. Both had dirty clothes, and bags on their backs, the boy was carrying his bat which had many marks. They looked tired. Streets kids, undoubtedly, he had never seen them around, but Phoenix was a big city. They were no older than thirteen or fourteen.

 

“Rough evening, kids?”

 

“Yeah,” the girl simply answered.

 

“I got nice burgers.”

 

“We’ll take two, please,” ordered the boy.

 

 _That one might had good parents in the past_ , Omar thought. _He seems polite_. They sat on a table, and weirdly enough, the owner felt a wave of sympathy. They looked young and it seemed like they had a rough life. He started to cook. There weren’t many people in, for once, it might have been a good thing. They were talking and he brought them the burgers.

 

“Here you go.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You come from the North? Your accent is different.”

 

“We’re travelling.”

 

Yep, definitely street kids. Maybe they were running away from an abusive family? Maybe they got problems with the law. Either way, they obviously didn’t want to speak about themselves. He could understand, he had his lot of problems in the past. The boy looked a bit familiar, maybe he had seen him around before.

 

“It’s on me, kids. I’m glad someone beat the shit out of those punks.”

 

Both of them were surprised, but they thanked him nonetheless (the girl more reluctantly than the boy) and started to eat. He left them, allowing them some privacy.

 

Once they were sure he wasn’t paying attention to them, Bruce leaned a bit toward Selina: “Do you think they knew we just got some cash?”

 

“Nah, they were just looking for easy preys, and they thought we were, but well, they got a bit of a surprise.”

 

Bruce grinned: “Definitely!”

 

“You’ll call Alfred tonight?”

 

“Maybe. He’s still worried.”

 

“It’s a wonder he didn’t call the cops,” she said while chewing her burger. “But then now, he was always kinda weird.”

 

Bruce rolled his eyes, quite amused. All in all, it was over two month they lived and travelled together, and even though they weren’t eating as much as they wanted, although they were sleeping on the ground and had to run, fight or steal, they were happy. They would usually not stay in a town or a city more than a few days, but they enjoyed Phoenix and decided to settle here for some times. Okay, it was the poorest streets, but the South was still incredible to discover. They were thinking of going to Los Angeles too, in some times, before going back on a different road to reach Gotham again.

 

Both of them savored their burgers, they knew the thugs wouldn’t come back for them, not for tonight at least. Maybe the crook they stole from would actually send someone after them, but they would handle it in time. After all, numerous people had tried to hurt them, and they were still alive.

 

“We’re going back, or do you wanna try something else?” Asked Bruce.

 

“We did enough for tonight.”

 

“I thought we could…explore the roofs a bit. You know, just to get familiar with those and with the best paths.”

 

That was actually a good idea, they could do that before returning to their new crib. It was an underground restaurant room, abandoned, with no electricity, nor running water. She was used to that, and Bruce was getting used to that kind of life as well, but it was still not that fun to hang in there.

 

“Why not? Could be fun.”

 

They devoured their meal, and Bruce looked around. He spotted an old jukebox and went to it. Selina looked at him, a bit curious. He spotted one disc of Marianne Faithfull and smiled. His mother liked that singer, she would listen to her songs while Bruce wasn’t around, as she judged some of those too mature for a child. Of course, it made Bruce want to listen to those even more. He played the disk and a strange, heavy, slow, melancholic tune started. Bruce recognized _Sister Morphine_. Selina went to him, her curiosity drawn.

 

_Here I lie in my hospital bed,_

_Tell me, Sister Morphine,_

_When are you coming around again?_

 

It was a dark song but Selina enjoyed it nonetheless. She found herself starting to move very slowly around, swirling at a very soft pace. Bruce approached her and gently took her hand. None of them cared about the people around. Moving along, still very slowly, the two started to dance together on that sweet, agonizing voice, on that uncaring and heavy rhythm. Bruce shyly passed his arms around her back and slowly, she let her hands go on his shoulders. Bruce remembered the night he invited her to the Gala. They had danced a waltz. This was nothing like it. Here, they really enjoyed themselves. Here, they _were_ themselves.

 

_Please, sister Morphine,_

_Turn my nightmares into dreams,_

_Oh can’t you see I’m fading fast,_

_And that this shot will be the last._

 

From his counter, Omar looked at them, quite fascinated. It was a strange picture: two kids dancing in his old dinner, in those grim streets, so far away from home, and on such a music…Neither of them cared, obviously. An old prostitute who would often come here was looking at them as well, a bit curious and dreamy. But neither teen seemed to notice.

 

Weirdly, that song made something resonate in both of them, and they clung to each other longingly. Their bodies were now pressed against each other, with no restraint, her forehead in the crook of his neck and his cheek against her soft, curly hair. Bruce had a flash and he thought of Jerome again. He wondered if he felt the same kind of pain the song pictured. He gripped Selina a little tighter, and pushed those thoughts away. Maybe he would see Jerome again, he didn’t know. But for now, he was with her and she was all that mattered. They were alive, fiercely alive, and happy in their own way.

 

The song ended and they stopped. She looked up at him: “That was my first Slow.”

 

“Me too.”

 

They kissed as another song started and while yells echoed through the streets again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it go! Honestly, while it was planned to end up with Bruce leaving to go with Selina, I certainly didn’t plan to get them on a road trip! It just came up like that, and also because I figured out that Bruce’s name and face would seen too much in Gotham, more than usual, and therefore, it would have been difficult for him to be anonymous in the streets. 
> 
> By the way, I advise you to check out that song, Sister Morphine, by Marianne Faithfull. 
> 
> The part with Jerome writing things in blood was inspired by a fan art which I couldn’t find again, showing Jerome staring at the wall of his cell with things written in blood. 
> 
> I can’t believe this story is over, it was great to write it! I really want to thank all the people who reviewed, it was really great support from you! I’m really proud of that story, and I thing I’ll write some more about Gotham, maybe continue the Looking for a Thrill verse, where Jeremiah and Jerome were actually working together all along.
> 
> Don’t hesitate to comment and tell me what you thought overall.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! It's only an Introduction, so it's a bit short, the rest will be longer. Don't hesitate to comment!


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